Cyclone George Impacts Mining Camps
Cyclone George barreled through Western Australia’s Pilbara
mining region on March 9, 2007, killing two at a Fortescue Metals railroad construction
camp and temporarily disrupting operations of the region’s two big iron
ore producers—Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Further afield, the same system
that led to the formation of George dumped huge amounts of rain on the Northern
Territory. At Energy Resources of Australia’s open-pit Ranger uranium mine,
the pit floor was flooded, and the company was forced to declare force majeure
on its sales contracts.
George was classified as a category four storm, with winds
reported up to 275 km/h. At Fortescue’s Rail Camp 1, 105 km south of Port
Hedland, the winds overturned the camp’s mobile housing units, killing two
people and injuring at least 21.
Fortescue is developing a 45-millionmt/ y iron
ore mining operation, with accompanying rail and port facilities. When complete,
it will be the first major iron ore operation in the Pilbara not owned and operated
by either Rio Tinto or Billiton. Initial shipments had been planned for the first
quarter of 2008. The impact of George is expected to slow progress on the project
but not to interfere materially with eventual completion. Fortescue has long-term
sales contracts in place for delivery of 39.5 million mt/y of iron ore.
At ERA’s
Ranger mine, nearly 850 mm of rain fell in the seven days to March 4, including
750 mm in one 72- hour period. To that time, the area had received 1,600 mm of
rain in 2007, more than the total average annual rainfall at the mine site.
ERA
was still assessing the impact of the water in the Ranger pit; however, the company
reported, production will continue to be negatively influenced into the second
half of 2007. Access to and from the Ranger mine and the nearby township of Jabiru
was restricted by highway closures and load limitations due to widespread flooding
in the region..