Tropical cyclone cancels Darwin flights, delays shipping

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Flights to Australia's northern city of Darwin were canceled on Saturday due to Tropical Cyclone Marcus and will not resume until midnight at the earliest, with commercial shipping also disrupted.

Cyclone Marcus hit Darwin, capital of Australia's Northern Territory, with wind speeds of 130km per hour over the harbor and heavy rains on Saturday morning.

Airlines affected include Jetstar, JetAsia, Qantas , Emirates[EMIRA.UL], Philippine Airlines, Airnorth, Virgin Australia and American Airlines.

International routes including Singapore and Bali were also hit.

Shipping was delayed with empty live cattle export ships ready to load heading out to sea to ride out the cyclone, and cruise ship Queen Mary 2 cancelling its Darwin stop as it makes its way to Bali.

(Reporting by Alison Bevege; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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