South African Richards Bay Coal Terminal's exports of coal in May rose 28% year on year to 5.58 million mt, which was 2.3% higher month on month, according to port operating data published Thursday.
RBCT said the exports were shipped in 63 vessels -- 33 Capesize vessels, 20 Handysize, and 10 Panamax.
According to RBCT's export destinations breakdown, 64.4% of exports, or 3.59 million mt, went to southern Asia, which includes India and Pakistan. The volume rose 13.5% month on month and was the highest since RBCT started providing a destination breakdown last July.
The second-largest volume of exports, 598,176 mt, went to Western Europe and was down 18% month on month to the lowest since July when no coal was sent to the region.
Total exports to the whole of Europe made up 16% of the entire export volume, or 890,557 mt, which was up 9.8% on April amid a near quadrupling in deliveries to Southern Europe, which received 292,381 mt.
NO EXPORTS TO EASTERN ASIA
Nothing was shipped from RBCT to Eastern Asia in May, which usually receives a large share of South African coal each month. The region includes China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Western Asia, including Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, imported 8.7%, or 487,662 mt, of total RBCT exports, up 133% from April.
Exports to south-east Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore) totaled 141,585 mt, or 2.5% of the total volume.
Eastern and Western Africa imported a combined 420,456 mt (7.5%) of South African coal from RBCT during the month, while exports to South America were 47,861 mt, 0.9% of the total.
So far this year, RBCT has exported 11.65 million mt to Southern Asia, or 43.2% of the total 27 million exported. Western Europe has received 5.3 million mt (19.6%), Eastern Asia 3.8 million mt (14.1%), and Western Asia 2.41 million mt (8.9%).
TRANSNET COAL RAILINGS AT 12-MONTH LOW
Meanwhile, South African state-controlled operator Transnet Freight Rail railed a 12-month low of 3.88 million mt of coal to the 91 million mt/year terminal in 485 trains during May.
The total was down 41.3% from April due to an annual 10-day maintenance period on the line connecting mines to the port.
End-of-month stocks at the terminal were down 37.9% month on month to a 12-month low of 2.58 million mt.
Spot cargoes of standard 6,000 kcal/kg NAR South African thermal coal remained well bid in May, with prices around the $76-77/mt level for most of the month, as trading sources noted lower availability of prompt cargoes.
Platts 7-45 day assessment slipped $1/mt from the beginning of the month to $75.90/mt FOB on May 30, with sources citing lower Asian buying demand.
