In December 2011, manganese ore shipments from Australia's Port Hedland increased 44.1 percent month on month and were down by 3.3 percent year on year, totaling 203,450 metric tons, according to Port Hedland Port Authority.
According to the released information, China was the only export destination for manganese ore shipments from Port Hedland in December, with shipments to China increasing 117 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the whole year of 2011, manganese ore shipments from Port Hedland increased 26.44 percent compared to 2010.
Port Hedland handles production from mines owned by BHP Billiton, Fortescue Metals Group and Atlas Manganese in the manganese ore-rich Pilbara region of Western Australia.