Drought trims Indonesian coal barge loads as Mahakam river runs low

Dry weather has cut coal barge loads on Indonesia's Mahakam River, raising the risk of coal piling up at East Kalimantan mines and loading ports, the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) said, according to a Bloomberg Technoz report on September 8.

The Samarinda port authority (KSOP) has told companies and terminal operators to cap barge loads at around 5,500-6,000 tonnes against a normal 7,000 tonnes, to keep vessels from grounding in the shallow channel. Mursidi, who heads the Samarinda KSOP, said the draft had to be cut for safety reasons.