The Port Hedland Port Authority shipped 14.22 million metric tons of iron ore in August, according to an update Tuesday on the website of the Pilbara region port in Western Australia state.

The exports were up 2% on the July total of 13.94 million tons, and up 33% from the August 2008 level of 10.7 million tons, the authority said.

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

A notable trend in the month was an 11.5% slump in shipments to China, the world's biggest iron ore importer.

The port shipped 9.82 million tons to China in August, down from 11.1 million tons in July.

The biggest monthly gainer was South Korea, which saw shipments nearly triple to 2.11 million tons.

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

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