BOGOTÁ: Colombian thermal coal exports in 2015 increased 7.6% year on year to 80.644 million mt, according to data from Colombian shipping agent Deep Blue.
The main destinations for Colombian coal during the year were the Netherlands at 17.495 million mt, rising 11% year on year, Turkey (11.561 million mt, up 24%), the US (6.356 million mt, up 17% and Brazil (6.121 million mt, up 13%).
The most significant drops came from the shipments to the UK, which totaled 4.187 million mt, down 32% year on year, and Chile, down 23% at 4.424 million mt. In 2015, the Puerto Bolivar export terminal, owned by Colombia’s largest thermal coal miner Cerrejon, shipped the most coal at 32.864 million mt, down 3.8% from 2014.
This was followed by Puerto Drummond, which shipped 27.756 million mt, up 27% year on year, and Puerto Nuevo, owned by Glencore’s Prodeco, down 7% at 16.622 million mt. Drummond’s increase can be attributed to an export ban imposed on the company in the first quarter of 2014 after its direct loading port operations were in line with government regulations in time.
Third-party port Carbosan-Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta reported the highest volume of coal exports in 2015 at 3.443 million mt, almost tripling year on year. Carbosan started shipping coal from Murray Energy’s Colombian Natural Resources in February 2015, which would account for the increase.
Colombian thermal coal exports in December rose to a nine-month high of 7.763 million mt, up 9.9% from December 2014 and a 27% increase from November. The country shipped a record monthly volume of 2.017 million mt to the Netherlands in December, up 12% year on year and 77% higher month on month.
Shipments to Turkey also reached a peak in December at 1.498 million mt, up 71% year on year year and 52% higher on the month. Exports to the UK in December dropped to a five-month low of 109,540 mt, down 75% year on year and month on month.
Puerto Drummond shipped the most coal in December at 2.898 million mt, a record monthly high, up 1% from December 2014 and up 18% from November. This was followed by Puerto Bolivar at 2.826 million mt, up 2% year on year and 42% month on month, and Puerto Nuevo at 1.603 million mt, up 19% year on year and 17% month on month.
Carbosan-Sociedad Portuaria de Santa exports in December doubled year on year to 384,768 mt, and increased 4% from November. The monthly December average for Platts FOB Colombia 6,000 kcal/kg NAR thermal coal price was $44.70/mt, down from November’s $50.76/mt. The weekly FOB Colombia 6,000 kcal/kg NAR price was assessed at $45/mt Friday, up 50 cents week on week.
Colombian coking coal exports in 2015 fell 1% year on year to 886,514 mt, Deep Blue data showed. December exports firmed 16% year on year to 146,430 mt, up 28% from November. Coke exports in 2015 fell 11% to 1.523 million mt, while they climbed 4% year on year to 138,706 mt in December.
