Businessman and Federal Member of Parliament, Clive Palmer, has lost a legal bid in a long running campaign to oust his estranged Chinese business partner, Citic, from crucial port facilities at the $12 billion Sino Iron project in Western Australia's Pilbara.

It's the latest case in a more than three-year battle battle between the businessman's Mineralogy company and Citic which have fallen out as resources prices have collapsed in the face of falling demand. Other disputes in relation to royalties remain to be resolved.