April 24 (Reuters) - Australia's Fortescue on

Wednesday logged a larger-than-expected decline in third-quarter

iron ore shipments, following a derailment of ore cars and

weather disruptions that also led to a slight cut in its outlook

for annual shipments.

The world's fourth-largest iron ore miner said it shipped

43.3 million metric tons of the steel-making commodity in the

three months ended March 31, down from 46.3 million tonnes a

year earlier.

That compared with a Visible Alpha estimate of 45.4 million

tons, according to Morgan Stanley.

Citi analysts said March quarter hematite shipments were 12%

below their expectations given the derailment plus weather

effects.

Fortescue said it expects its fiscal year 2024 shipment at

the lower end of its 192-197 million ton forecast, citing the

derailment and weather impacts during the quarter.

That includes 2 million tons from its magnetite Iron Bridge

operations, compared to a previous forecast of 2-4 million tons,

which were impacted by water availability at its processing

plant.

Fortescue cut its capital spending guidance for its metals

business to $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion from $2.8 billion to

$3.2 billion, partially as a result of currency moves.