BHP Billiton lifts force majeure after long strike at Escondida copper mine
Melbourne — BHP Billiton said on Thursday it had lifted a declaration of force majeure at its Escondida copper mine in Chile, more than a month after a costly strike came to an end. BHP declared force majeure at the mine in early February at the start of a labour strike that lasted 43 days and cost the world’s biggest mining house about $1bn. "I’m pleased to say that our copper FM (force majeure) is lifted as of today. We are back to normal," BHP’s chief commercial officer, Arnoud Balhuizen, told reporters after addressing a mining luncheon. Force majeure remained in place on shipments from its coal mines in Australia’s Queensland state, where a cyclone in late March knocked out rail haul lines, Balhuizen said. "We still need a bit of time to get to full normal shipments in coal," he said. Belt boost BHP also said China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative could deliver a major boost for commodities and would add about 150-million tons to global steel demand. The plan to d...
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