Photo by: Bloomberg
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining giant BHP has warned that iron-ore stockpile reserves at Port Hedland will not be sufficient to cover the entire period of interruption to its rail operations, following an intentional train derailment earlier this week.
The miner will be liaising with customers in relation to its contractual commitments over the coming period.
BHP said on Wednesday that the train wreckage would likely be removed over the next few days, with track works starting in parallel.
Partial rail operations were expected to resume in about one week, the miner said, adding that the material logistics to enable the repairs were well advanced, with more than 130 people aiding in the recovery. This number was expected to increase as the track work ramps up.
The train was intentionally derailed some 120 km from Port Hedland after travelling some 92 km without a driver.
It is estimated that some 1.5 km of track has been damaged.
In the interim, an investigation into the incident is also under way.
“We cannot speculate on the outcome of the investigation; however we are working with the appropriate authorities and our focus remains on the safe recovery of our operations,” a spokesperson for BHP said.