export up

this should make the qtr and 1stH reports interesting?

good article from Argus

Port Hedland iron ore exports reach new high
7 Jan 2014, 1.53 pm GMT

London, 7 January (Argus) — Iron ore shipments from Western Australia's Port Hedland reached a new monthly record in December, even though a cyclone halted operations at the end of the month.

Port Hedland exported 29.5mn t of iron ore in December, up by 5pc from 28.1mn t a month earlier and 13pc higher than shipments in December 2012. December's iron ore exports were a new monthly record, exceeding the previous highs set earlier in 2013 of 29mn t and 27.9mn t in September and May, respectively.

Record exports were achieved despite Port Hedland being shut down for 64 hours last month as a result of Cyclone Christine. The port closed on 29 December and resumed normal operations late on 31 December.

The upturn in volumes was largely based on Chinese demand. China was the destination for 24.2mn t, or 82pc, of the iron ore loaded at Port Hedland last month. The December volume was relatively large compared with the monthly average last year of 21.3mn t, but exports to China actually reached their 2013 high in October, with shipments of 25.2mn t. Chinese steel mills were restocking in early December — supporting demand for Australian iron ore — although that buying interest did not persist into the second half of the month, in part as potential buyers suffered a credit squeeze.

Exports to China remained high despite firmer freight rates. The dry bulk, Capesize freight rate from Western Australia to north China averaged $13.14/t in December, up from an average of $9.56/t in November.

Port Hedland is Western Australia's largest export terminal. Two of Australia's three largest iron ore producers — UK-Australian firm BHP Billiton and local company Fortescue Metals — use the facility to export their iron ore, as does emerging domestic producer Atlas Iron.