North Queensland coal exports climb 10% MoM in November

At the Port of Hay Point, coal exports via the Hay Point Coal Terminal (HPCT) dropped 2.8% on month and 3.1% on year to 2.82 million tonnes last month, the company's data showed.

According to Thurlestone Shipping, a dry bulk shipbroking and shipping services provider headquartered in London, heavy rains hit the port in mid-November, which might have disrupted shipment schedules, Mysteel Global observed.

Despite the wet weather, November coal dispatches to worldwide destinations from the adjacent Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT), also located at the Hay Point port, climbed by 10.4% on month and 18.4% on year to 5.61 million tonnes, offsetting the decline seen at the HPCT.

The same month, coal shipments from the North Queensland Export Terminal (NQXT) at Abbot Point port also jumped 22% from October to 3.11 million tonnes. However, the volume was still lower by 12.8% from November last year, according to the data.

Connected by rail to coal mines in the Bowen Basin, Northeast Australia, these three terminals are the primary conduits for Queensland coal to overseas markets. More than 80% of the metallurgical coal loaded at these terminals is shipped to China, Japan, South Korea and India, Mysteel Global learned from public information.

During January-November, the cumulative coal exports through the three terminals totalled 116.31 million tonnes, down 5.6% from the corresponding months of last year, Mysteel Global calculated.

Written by Adrian Zhou, zhouwenhaoa@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com