LISBON: Colombia exported of 6.52 million mt of thermal coal in January, a 10-month low and down 5% year on year and 18% from December 2016’s five-month high, data from Colombian shipping agent Deep Blue showed.
Higher exports to Turkey, Brazil, Chile and the US were offset by falling shipments to the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, the UK and Israel.
Turkey was sent a four-month high of 1.41 million mt during January, rising 24% year on year and up 19% from December, although exports to Colombia’s usual largest taker, the Netherlands, plunged 62% on the year and 52% from December to 668,471 mt, the lowest since April last year.
According to the data, there were no shipments to South Korea in January, after 1.95 million mt over May-December.
Shipments from Cerrejon’s Puerto Bolivar terminal comprised 43% of total January exports at 2.78 million mt, a jump of 26% year on year, but a fall of 10% from December.
US-based producer Drummond’s Puerto Drummond exported 1.95 million mt during the month, falling 28% on the year and 27% from the previous month.
Prodeco’s Puerto Nuevo’s exports moved 18% lower year on year and 15% on the month to 1.47 million mt in January, while shipments from third-party port Carbosan-Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta were 247,580 mt, more than double last January’s 105,201 mt, but 22% lower than in December.
The monthly average for Platts FOB Colombia 6,000 kcal/kg NAR thermal coal price in January was $83.75/mt, down from $89.80/mt in December.
The Deep Blue data showed that 28.489 mt of coking coal was exported in January, dropping 66% on the year, while coke shipments rose 77% year on year and 20% from December to 194,641 mt.
Colombia shipped 50,606 mt of petcoke during January, which was 52% lower than December’s total. The country only started exporting petcoke in August last year, with 290,285 mt shipped over August-December 2016.
