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Page added on March 29, 2006

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Australia braces for second super cyclone in two weeks

PERTH, Australia (AFP) – Australia braced for the second powerful cyclone to strike in two weeks as a major storm bore down on the country’s mineral-rich west coast, forcing a halt to some mining and oil drilling operations in the region.

Cyclone Glenda was upgraded to the highest category five tropical storm overnight but later weakened slightly to a category four, producing wind gusts near its center of 280 kilometers per hour (175 miles per hour), the Bureau of Meteorology said.

…The Pilbara is Australia’s main iron-ore producing region and hosts a series of offshore oil and gas projects.

These include the 16 billion dollar North West Shelf liquefied natural gas project operated by Woodside Petroleum, and iron ore mines operated by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.

Woodside said it had suspended operations at its 100,000-barrel-per-day Cossack oil field due to the storm while Santos shut its 40,000 bpd Mutineer Exeter offshore oil field.

BHP Billiton said its 10,600 bpd Griffin oil field in the same region had been closed since Saturday and that the company had suspended operations at Port Hedland, north of Karratha, but was continuing mining operations.

Rio Tinto said it had shut down port operations at Cape Lambert and Dampier, both near Karratha.

AFP



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