Port Hedland News

Construction has started on a new Seafarers Centre at the Port of Port Hedland in Australia.Benchmark Construction and Building has been awarded a contract to construct the new center which will be a welcoming space for seafarers visiting Port Hedland and will include areas for rest, connection, recreation and access to vital support services.It will feature a communal lounge equipped with games and kitchen facilities, quiet areas, a library, meditation and prayer rooms and a shared chapel.

Australia’s Pilbara Ports has taken a step further towards development of a low-carbon ammonia bunkering hub in the Pilbara by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yara Pilbara.The Yara Pilbara plant is one of the largest ammonia production facilities in the world, utilising world-class export infrastructure in the Port of Dampier.The MoU advances the Pilbara Clean Fuel Bunkering Initiative as the two organisations have agreed to work collaboratively on government and stakeholder advocacy…

On the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention, the NGO Human Rights at Sea has called on Catherine King, Australia’s Minister for Transport, to take action on the consistent provision of seafarer welfare services after an advocate has travelled the nation securing funding in the absence of federal government support.The February announcement that Flinders Port Holdings has committed $200,000 to Mission to Seafarers is a reminder that, around Australia, welfare funding for seafarers is being driven not by national policy or coordinated planning…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Australian companies NH3 Clean Energy (NH3) and Oceania Marine Energy to advance development of clean ammonia bunkering operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The MoU aims to establish collaboration with NH3 and Oceania on the Pilbara Clean Fuels Bunkering Hub initiative, which is Australia's first ammonia bunkering concept announced by the Pilbara Ports Authority in June 2025.MOL will…

Rio Tinto said on Tuesday it had begun clearing iron ore ships from two Western Australian ports as two tropical cyclones offshore swell seas and complicate its efforts to repair infrastructure damaged by a previous cyclone last month."Safety is our priority. As is procedure, we began sending ships from Cape Lambert Port at the weekend and Dampier Port last night, out to sea, to avoid high sea swells and wave conditions created by Tropical Cyclone Taliah and Tropical Cyclone Vince…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued several safety recommendations after an electrical short circuit led to the grounding of a bulk carrier in the channel off Port Hedland, in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.On April 9, 2022, the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth with a harbor pilot on board and four tugs assisting for an outbound passage of Port Hedland’s 40km dredged channel.During the transit, shortly after completing a turn…

ABS is expanding its footprint in Western Australia, establishing a physical presence in Port Hedland, a key trading zone for dry bulk minerals in the Eastern Hemisphere. The new site joins other ABS locations in Perth, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export port, is located within the Pilbara region in northwest Australia. The area is making substantial investments to support the energy transition to meet net-zero emissions goals.

The Pilbara region of Australia has achieved a record 758.3 million tonnes of exports passing through its ports in the 2023-24 financial year.This marks the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking throughput for Pilbara Ports.The Port of Port Hedland contributed significantly to this achievement with a throughput of 573.6 million tonnes.The commodities exported through Pilbara Ports in 2023-24 were valued at an estimated A$173.2 billion.Pilbara Ports play a crucial role in facilitating Australia’s iron ore trade…

Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power ships will rise this year on attractive prices, while more dual-fuel vessels join the global fleet. Prices of LNG delivered as marine fuel at the world's largest bunker hub Singapore are at steep discounts of nearly $100 per metric ton compared with conventional 0.5% very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), industry sources report.That is a far cry from record premiums of more than $1,000 a ton seen in September 2023, based on data from S&P Global Platts published on industry coalition SEA-LNG's website…

A feasibility study has highlighted the potential for using clean ammonia to refuel ships, particularly iron ore carriers, visiting the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The study, commissioned by Yara Clean Ammonia (Yara) and Pilbara Ports, was undertaken by Lloyd's Register, and looked at key areas including the estimated demand and likely availability of ammonia as a replacement shipping fuel. The potential risks and regulatory requirements for ammonia bunkering at the ports…

A report into the security of Western Australia's supply chains has recommended policy and regulatory reforms to support Australian-owned shipping lines competing for domestic sea-freight work.The recommendation has been made in a report by the Western Australian (WA) Government's Shipping and Supply Chain Taskforce. Co-chaired by Kyle McGinn and Jessica Stojkovski, the Taskforce was established following the floods in South Australia in early 2022 that cut off supplies of essential…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has completed a major A$15.5 million two-year project to repair and rejuvenate essential aids to navigation (AtoNs) off the coast of Port Hedland, Western Australia.AMSA commissioned the works following Severe Tropical Cyclone Veronica in 2019, which caused significant damage to electrical equipment, access ladders, platforms, day markers and fenders.AMSA has replaced the top of 13 AtoNs, installed new platforms and above water pile sections…

An Antigua Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship has been banned from Australian waters over serious safety deficiencies. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it issued a 180-day ban on the Briese Heavylift GmbH & Co vessel BBC Pearl as the agency works to crack down on unsafe and unseaworthy vessels.after inspectors found multiple failures of the safety management system as well as a defective emergency generator and defective fire dampers during a port State control…

An interim report from an ongoing Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has detailed the sequence of events of a loaded iron ore carrier’s grounding in a channel while departing Port Hedland, Western Australia in 2022.The interim report details factual information but contains no analysis or findings.In the early hours of April 9, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth at Port Hedland, with a harbour pilot onboard. About 50 minutes after departure…

A tropical cyclone smashed into Australia's northwest coast as a category 5 storm, setting new wind speed records, but has largely spared populated regions including the world's largest iron ore export hub at Port Hedland, authorities said on Friday. Cyclone Ilsa made landfall early Friday morning with the highest intensity rating on a 1-to 5 scale and then moved inland as emergency crews urged several remote communities along the storm's path to seek shelter and remain indoors."Port Hedland ... escaped the brunt of the cyclone at this stage.

Australia's northwest region, home to the world's largest export hub for iron ore, could be hit by the most powerful tropical cyclone there in a decade as ports cleared ships and residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies. Cyclone Ilsa, located about 300 km (186 miles) off Australia's coast in the Indian Ocean, is expected to make landfall as early as Thursday night as a category four storm - one rung below strongest category five - packing winds of up to 275 km per hour, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, snapped a four-session winning streak on Tuesday, pressured by lower rates for capesize and supramax vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, lost 53 points, or 3.4%, at 1,507 — its biggest dip in two weeks.The capesize index fell 130 points, or 6.4%, to 1,911.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150…

A Hall Contracting backhoe dredge arrived in Port Hedland last week.Due to its low clearance hull design, the dredge was transported from the Middle East on board a semi-submersible heavy load carrier.After arriving at anchorage, the heavy load carrier was submersed, allowing the dredge to float off.Now anchored at the Port of Port Hedland, prep work is underway on the dredge before dredging works commence at the Spoilbank Marina in early July.Over the next few months, the backhoe dredge…

BHP Group unveiled the world's first liquefied natural gas-fueled bulk carrier vessel in Singapore on Monday, one of five vessels that the mining giant will take delivery of in 2022 as part of efforts to curb supply chain emissions.The 299-metre (981 ft) long Mt. Tourmaline Newcastlemax ore carrier was built by Eastern Pacific Shipping in China and stopped off in Singapore to take on LNG fuel. It will next head to Port Hedland in Western Australia to load iron ore that will then be shipped to customers in China.BHP…

Australian mining giant BHP has taken two KOTUG's tugs on long-term charters to support bulk carrier loadings at Port Hedland, Australia.KOTUG, a Dutch marine services and towage company, said Thursday, its new build Rotortugs RT Imperieuse and RT Clerke had arrived in Port Hedland.Both 32m ART80-32 tugs, built at Cheoy Lee Shipyard, have three Caterpillar main engines, that deliver a total output of 5,295kW each, 13 knots sailing speed, and 80 tons bollard pull power. They are equipped with advanced DMT Escort Winches.

Heading into the seasonally strongest part of the year, dry bulk owners have already enjoyed a very profitable year with the temporary factors helping the market stay strong expected to continue providing support into 2022, says shipping organization BIMCO.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe dry bulk shipping industry continues to enjoy a bumper year, with average earnings continuing to outshine any profits made in the past couple of years. As is often the case, Capesizes’ are taking the spotlight, with recent earnings peaking above $50,000 per day.

Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine has secured an exclusive contract from floating production firm Altera Infrastructure, to carry out the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) work for an FPSO to be built for Santos' Dorado oil and project offshore Australia.Dorado. located in the Bedout Sub-basin, offshore Western Australia,  is an oil and gas project which is expected to have an initial oil production of 75,000 to 100,000 barrels per day, with subsequent development of significant…

Australian oil and gas company Santos has awarded the FEED contract for the FPSO for the Dorado project offshore W. Australia to Altera Infrastructure.Located in the Bedout Sub-basin, Dorado is an oil and gas project which is planned to be developed in two phases. The initial development involves the production of oil and condensate through a wellhead platform (WHP) and FPSO. Gas will be reinjected in the initial phase to enhance oil and condensate recovery, followed by a planned future phase of gas production to backfill Santos’ domestic gas infrastructure in WA.According to Santos…