Cyclone barrels toward Australia, prompts ports and oil fields to close

Several ports were closed from Port Hedland, considered a major iron ore exporting center, down to the more southern terminals at Dampier, according to Steed Farrell, a spokesman for the Port Hedland Port Authority.

"It's in the hands of mother nature," said Farrell.

The agency has activated contingency plans which remove all non-essential personnel from the ports and oblige major vessels to relocate.

Cyclone Heidi is currently rated a category one storm, with winds churning up to 100 kilometers per hour (60 mph), according to the country's bureau of meteorology.

Destructive winds with gusts up to 155 kilometers per hour (96 mph) could hit the country's northwestern areas of Whim Creek and Pardoo between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, the agency reported.

The country's largest oil and gas firm, Woodside Petroleum, also shut down operations in several offshore oil fields in response to the approaching storm.

Oil production facilities -- particularly the Cossack, Wanaea, Lambert and Hermes facilities -- were shut down on the North West Shelf region, said Daniel Cleary, a Woodside spokesman.

The Vincent oil field off the North West Cape region also stopped production, he said.

Rio Tinto, the world's second largest iron-ore producer, also stopped loading at the ports of Dampier and Cape Lambert, where more than 200 millions tons of iron ore are shipped out each year, said Karen Halbert, a company spokeswoman.

Authorities have warned residents around Port Hedland and in the northwestern areas near Wallal of a potentially "dangerous storm tide," with the possibility of flooding in low lying areas.