Iron ore exports from Australia declined about 23 percent for the week ended Sept. 1, with 27 bulk carriers leaving Port Hedland and Dampier, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

The combined capacity of the ships sailing from the ports fell to 4.57 million deadweight tons, from 5.9 million deadweight tons and 35 ships for the week ended Aug. 25, data showed.

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of iron ore, forecast to ship an estimated 414 million metric tons in 2011, according to the country’s government forecaster, ABARES. Export earnings from the steelmaking ingredient topped $56 billion for the 12 months ended June 30, ABARES estimated.

About 68 per cent of vessels are destined for Chinese ports. Following are the ships, destinations and arrival date where the information is available. Drafts are expressed as a percentage of the maximum sailing depth and are an indication of cargo size.