Australian iron ore exports to China from Port Hedland rise nearly 12 percent in March

Ships waiting to be loaded with iron ore are seen at the Fortescue loading dock located at Port Hedland, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia December 3, 2013. REUTERS/David Gray/File photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Iron ore shipments to China from Australia's Port Hedland terminal in March rose nearly 12 percent from a month earlier to 35 million tonnes, port data released on Monday showed.

In February, iron ore shipments stood at 31.3 million tonnes. Overall iron ore shipments from the world's biggest export terminal rose to 42.1 million tonnes in March from 38.5 million tonnes in the previous month, the Pilbara Ports Authority said.

Port Hedland is used by three of Australia's top four iron ore miners, BHP Billiton <BHP.AX> <BLT.L>, Fortescue Metals Group <FMG.AX> and Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)