CANBERRA: Coal shipments from eastern Australia’s Gladstone port to Japan rose 18% to 2.36 million mt in July from 2 million mt in June and were up from 1.57 million mt a year earlier, Gladstone Ports Corporation said Friday.
Exports over the 12 months to July 31 totaled 23.3 million mt, up from 22.3 million mt in the same period a year earlier, GPC said in an operating report.
July exports to China from the port totaled 1.23 million mt, down from 1.48 million mt in June, and over the 12 months to July 31 totaled 12.7 million mt, down sharply from 18.7 million mt a year earlier.
India received 1.42 million mt of coal from Gladstone port in July, down from 1.67 million mt in June, and over the 12 months to July 31 received 13.6 million mt, up from 12.8 million mt a year earlier.
South Korea received 979,000 in July, up from 965,000 mt in June, and 10.5 million mt over the 12 months to July 31, up from 8.5 million mt the year before. Taiwan received 270,000 mt in July, up from 168,000 mt in June, and 3 million mt in the 12 months to July 31, down from 3.2 million mt the year before.
Total coal export shipments from Gladstone port in July stood at 6.5 million mt, equating to 78 million mt on an annualized basis, down from 6.8 million mt in June.
Gladstone port serves about 20 mines producing thermal and coking coal in Queensland’s Bowen Basin coal field, where operators include BHP Billiton, Glencore, Rio Tinto and Idemitsu.
It recently added a third terminal for coal shipments at Wiggins Island to its existing Barney Point and RG Tanna terminals. The industry-owned Wiggins Island terminal has a shipment capacity of 27 million mt/year and its coal shippers include Cockatoo Coal, Glencore, Wesfarmers and Yancoal.
