The train derailed after leaving without its driver, and subsequently the company was unable to deliver ore from its Pilbara iron ore mines to its port at Port Hedland. BHP was able to resume partial deliveries on November 10 and has been able to ramp up rail services over the past week despite some safety concerns related to the trains.
BHP's shipping data indicates that its loadings for November 6-19 this year are down by 22% on the same period in October and by 30% on the same period in November last year.
While this may seem like a large fall, it is only over a two-week period and BHP should be able to make up for this over the next six to eight weeks, assuming there are no other technical issues and the weather remains benign, according to analysts.