The Port Hedland Port Authority in Western Australia shipped 13.02 million metric tons of iron ore in June, according to an update on the authority's website Wednesday.

The exports were down 2.8% on the May total of 13.44 million tons, but up 9.6% on a year before, when exports totaled 12.26 million tons, the authority said.

The authority didn't provide individual breakdowns for major port users BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AU) and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG.AU).

Port Hedland is BHP's key Australian iron ore port, but the global miner is seeking a joint venture with competitor Rio Tinto (RIO.AU), which exports iron ore from Dampier and Cape Lambert.

-By Stephen Bell, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; 61-8-9244-4243; sgbell@bigpond.com