Ships bound for China loaded 2.09 million mt of coal from two terminals operated by Port Waratah Coal Services at Newcastle port in eastern Australia in April, up 10% from March, PWCS said Wednesday in an operations report.
The April exports to China were the highest since December 2012, when 2.95 million mt was loaded, according to Platts analysis of PWCS data.
Despite the increase, spot prices for the main grade of Newcastle thermal coal bought by Chinese coal buyers, Newcastle 5,500 kcal/kg NAR with maximum 23% ash, have been rangebound at $72-74/mt FOB since early February.
March shipments of 1.9 million mt had surged from 1.04 million mt a month earlier as trading activity picked up following the week-long Lunar New Year holiday in China in mid-February.
China bought 22% of the total 9.45 million mt of coal shipped through PWCS' Newcastle terminals in April, compared with 23% in March.
Thermal coal comprised 87% of the April total and semi-soft coking coal 13%, against 78% for thermal coal and 22% for coking coal in March, PWCS said in its latest report.
Exports through the PWCS terminals to Japan increased to 4.84 million mt in April from 4.13 million mt a month earlier, and comprised 51.25% of cargoes loaded in April, against 50.3% in March.
China and Japan, together with South Korea and Taiwan, receive 90% of the coal exported through the PWCS terminals at Newcastle.
Shipments to South Korea totaled 840,000 mt in April, up from 760,000 mt in March, and to Taiwan totaled 826,000, up from 713,000 mt a month earlier.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand accounted for 7% of the April total, receiving one or two Capesize cargoes each.
The PWCS export data covers shipments from the company's two coal terminals at Newcastle, but not volumes from the neighboring terminal operated by Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group.
Rio Tinto and Xstrata are the main producers to ship coal through PWCS facilities, while BHP Billition, Centennial Coal, Peabody Energy, Whitehaven Coal and Yancoal Australia use the NCIG terminal, in which they are stakeholders.
