Australia's Port Hedland, the largest iron ore export hub in Western Australia, saw total iron ore shipments of 44.23 million tonnes in July 2026, down 3.79% year on year and 14.48% month on month, according to the latest data from the Pilbara Ports Authority.

Shipments to China totaled 37.86 million tonnes in July, down 2.98% year on year and 16.08% from the previous month, accounting for 86% of the port's total iron ore exports.

The decline in July shipments may partly attributed to labour disputes at BHP Group, which transports all of its Australian iron ore through Port Hedland.

Hundreds of workers at BHP's iron ore operations at the port staged an eight-hour strike on July 16, and around 150 workers participated in a two-day strike on August 8-9 as the dispute remained unresolved.

During January-July 2026, Port Hedland's cumulative iron ore exports reached 329 million tonnes, down 1.54% year on year. Of that total, shipments to China stood at 280 million tonnes, down 2.24% from a year earlier, representing 85% of the port's total exports.