By Rhiannon Hoyle
SYDNEY--One of Australia's biggest coal ports has been locked
down as a cyclone intensifies off the country's eastern coast.
Ship-loading operations were halted at the Port of Gladstone, in
Queensland state, as Australia's bureau of meteorology warned
violent winds and heavy rainfall would on Friday whip the
coast.
"Gladstone Ports Corporation will continue to monitor weather
conditions over the coming days," the port authority said in an
emailed statement.
More than 5.4 million metric tons of coal was exported through
Gladstone in January. Miners including Anglo American PLC and
Glencore PLC ship their commodities from the port.
The energy commodity accounts for 70% of its exports--destined
for customers in places such as Japan, South Korea and
Taiwan--although cargoes of alumina, grain and scrap metal are also
shipped through Gladstone.
The weather bureau said tropical cyclone Marcia had intensified
to a category-five--the most severe rating for such a storm. It
warned of very destructive winds of up to 180 miles per hour,
abnormally high tides and damaging waves.
Write to Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com
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