Rio Tinto shipped 12% less iron ore in the second quarter after storms affected its West Australian operations, the company has confirmed.

The world’s largest iron ore producer shipped 76.3m tonnes in the three months to June 2021, against the 86.7m tonnes seen a year ago.

Consequently, Rio Tinto said it now expects to ship near the lower end of its range of 325m tonnes and 340m tonnes this year, a target analysts said would be tough to meet.