Australia's iron-ore centre braces for Cyclone Rusty

SYDNEY: Australia's three largest iron ore ports were shut down on Monday ahead of tropical cyclone Rusty which is whipping up rough seas along the resource-rich west coast.    

The Bureau of Meteorology warned that the storm system was likely to intensify as the cyclone slowly approaches land.

"There is a high risk that Rusty will cross the coast as a severe tropical cyclone," it said in a statement.

"However, the slow motion of the cyclone means that the crossing time and location is uncertain."

Rusty was about 305 kilometres (190 miles) north of Port Hedland, some 1,300 kilometres north of Perth, on Monday and there was a hurricane-force marine wind warning in place for the Pilbara coast.    A cyclone warning is in place for coastal areas from Broome, in the state's north, down to Whim Creek which lies between Port Hedland and Karratha.

"(Port) Hedland is under greater threat than Karratha, particularly of having a very direct impact," the bureau's Andrew Burton told the ABC, adding that the cyclone could intensify to a category 4, just below the top-level 5.

"But there is a risk that as Rusty comes into the coast it may stall and swing a bit further to the west, and that would bring some of those destructive wind gusts a lot closer to Karratha."

Port Hedland, a major iron ore export hub for BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals, closed early Monday.