In October this year, iron ore shipments from Australia's Port Hedland increased by 16 percent year on year and were down 0.7 percent month on month, totaling 19.8 million metric tons, according to Port Hedland Port Authority.
According to the released information, iron ore shipments made from Port Hedland to China amounted to 14.74 million metric tons in October, decreasing by 2.5 percent compared to September of the current year and up 29.4 percent year on year. South Korea was the second largest export destination for iron ore shipments from Port Hedland, with shipments totaling 2.26 million metric tons - up 5.6 percent year on year and up 9.3 percent from September. South Korea was followed by Japan, with iron ore exports at 1.71 million metric tons, down 9.9 percent year on year and up 25.1 percent month on month.
Port Hedland handles production from mines owned by BHP Billiton, Atlas Iron and Fortescue Metals Group in the iron ore-rich Pilbara region of Western Australia.