BHP Billiton Says Fire Broke Out at Australian Port

BHP Billiton Says Fire Broke Out at Australian Port

BHP Billiton Ltd, the world’s biggest mining company, said a fire burned for over an hour today at a screening area in the Nelson Point iron ore port in Western Australia.

It is assessing the damage from the fire, Samantha Evans, a BHP spokeswoman, said by telephone from Melbourne. There were no injuries and workers weren’t evacuated, she said.

Nelson Point is one of BHP’s two harbors at Port Hedland in Western Australia. More than 500 ships load at the two harbors each year, according to BHP’s Web Site. BHP is now upgrading Nelson Point as part of its plan to triple output in Australia to 300 million tons a year by 2015, from 108 million tons.

Asian steelmakers agreed last month to pay Brazil’s Cia. Vale do Rio Doce at least 65 percent more for iron ore, used to make the alloy, from April as demand outpaced global supplies.

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