Australian mining company BHP Billiton has confirmed that force majeure has been declared for all shipments from BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), its joint venture with Australia-based Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd, and all shipments from BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal (BMC), its joint venture with Japan-based Mitsui, as a result of damage caused by Cyclone Debbie to the network infrastructure of Australian rail freight company Aurizon.
The company stated that it continues to assess haulage options to manage access from mine sites to ports and shipments to customers. BHP Billiton is also continuing to monitor and work through the impacts to production and will provide updates over coming weeks and detail in its operational review.