Glencore, the British-Swiss commodity giant, said Friday that it has suspended operations at its McArthur River zinc mine in Northern Australia due to an approaching cyclone.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the region over the looming tropical cyclone Trevor, and the National Weather Bureau said on Friday that the storm is intensifying and warned of possible "catastrophic consequences" ahead of a strike on the coast on Saturday morning.
“(McArthur River Mine) is preparing for Cyclone Trevor in accordance with our standard procedures,” a Glencore spokesman emailed Reuters.
“We are suspending onsite mining and shipping to (Bing Bong).
This comes after commodity giant Rio Tinto suspended bauxite mining at Weipa on the country's northeastern tip on Wednesday ahead of a cyclone.
Meanwhile, Rio, BHP and Fortescue have pulled their ships out of ports ahead of the expected exit of Cyclone Veronica south of the world's largest iron ore export center, Port Hedland, on Sunday.
