(Adds coal force majeure remains, changes dateline to Melbourne)
MELBOURNE, June 1 (Reuters) - BHP Billiton BHP.AX BLT.L said on Thursday it has lifted a declaration of force majeure at its Escondida copper mine in Chile, more than a month after a costly strike came to an end.
BHP declared force majeure at the mine in early February at the start of a labour strike that lasted 43 days and cost the world's biggest mining house an estimated $1 billion. pleased to say that our copper FM (force majeure) is lifted as of today. We are back to normal," BHP's chief commercial officer, Arnoud Balhuizen told reporters after addressing a mining luncheon.
Force majeure remained in place on shipments from its coal mines in Australia's Queensland state, where a cyclone in late March knocked out rail haul lines, Balhuizen said.
"We still need a bit of time to get to full normal shipments in coal," he said.