Port Hedland Iron Ore Shipments to China Dip

Iron ore shipments to China from Australia's Port Hedland terminal fell more than 8 percent in March from a month earlier, port data released on Friday showed.

Iron ore shipments to China from the world's biggest iron ore port totaled 30.7 million tonnes in March, compared with February's 33.5 million metric tons, the Pilbara Ports Authority said.

Port Hedland is used by three of Australia's top four iron ore miners, BHP Billiton, Fortescue Metals Group and Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.

Shipments were affected by tropical cyclone Veronica, which hit Western Australia in late March. Port Hedland was closed for more than 92.5 hours, Pilbara Ports Authority said in a separate statement.

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)