CANBERRA: Port Waratah Coal Services two terminals at Newcastle port in eastern Australia loaded 5.52 million mt of coal destined for Japan in December, up 30.5% month on month and a six-year high, PWCS data released Monday showed.
Japan was the destination for 53% of the 10.44 million mt of mostly thermal coal exports shipped from PWCS’ Carrington and Kooragang terminals in December, and 50% of the 108.9 million mt shipped over 2015, PWCS said. The December total was the highest since Platts began collating data in January 2010, surpassing the previous high of 5.4 million mt hit in both July and October 2013.
Around 89% of the coal shipped via the PWCS terminals in 2015 was thermal coal and the balance coking coal, PWCS said. The 2015 total was down 3 million mt from 111.9 million mt in 2014, it added.
South Korea received the second highest volume of PWCS coal exports at 17.34 million mt over 2015, comprising 15.9% of the total, and 1.09 million mt in December, down from 1.72 million mt in November. China-bound ships loaded 1.44 million mt of coal at the two terminals in December, up 800,000 mt from November, and 13 million mt over 2015, comprising 11.9% of the total.
Taiwan booked 1 million mt of coal exports at the PWCS terminals in December, up from 480,000 mt in November; Mexico 540,000 mt, taking its 2015 total to 2.57 million mt; and India 300,000 mt, taking its 2015 total to 1.9 million mt.
Major producers Centennial Coal, Glencore, Rio Tinto and Yancoal are among those to ship coal via the PWCS coal terminals at Newcastle port. The third coal terminal at the port, the 66 million mt/year Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group facility, has yet to release 2015 data.
