BHP ship loaders at Port Hedland, Western Australia, began a 24-hour strike to halt loading of bulk carriers between Aug 8–9, starting at 05:30 AWST Saturday. BHP says roughly 200 of about 1,200 port employees are union members eligible to take action; two of seven operational ship loaders are fully automated and expected to be unaffected. Port Hedland handles about 500 mln tonnes of iron ore a year and is among the world’s largest export ports; any disruption could ripple through the global iro

BHP ship loaders at Port Hedland, Western Australia, began a 24-hour strike to halt loading of bulk carriers between Aug 8–9, starting at 05:30 AWST Saturday. BHP says roughly 200 of about 1,200 port employees are union members eligible to take action; two of seven operational ship loaders are fully automated and expected to be unaffected. Port Hedland handles about 500 mln tonnes of iron ore a year and is among the world’s largest export ports; any disruption could ripple through the global iron ore market. Traders are monitoring whether the dispute will escalate into a prolonged stoppage that could materially affect flows and prices.