Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), South Africa’s premium coal terminal, has achieved its highest ever export figures in 2017.
According to the annual results released on the company’s website, RBCT had managed a total coal export of 76.47 MnT in CY17, surpassing the previous best record of 75.38 MnT recorded in CY15. Exports in CY17 were also 5% higher than the levels achieved during CY16.
RBCT had also received the highest tonnage of coal in a single year. During CY17, around 75.60 MnT coal was railed to RBCT from the coal mines, which was 2.2% higher from the previous record of 73.93 MnT marked in CY15.
Major Coal Export Destinations:
Majority of the coal from RBCT was shipped to Asia continent, with India being the chief consumer. India had received highest coal shipment of 35.76 MnT, followed by Pakistan at 8.66 MnT and South Korea at 8.44 MnT.
Europe had received the next highest share among the 4 coal-receiving continents, followed by Africa and South America.
In term of number of vessels loaded, RBCT had handled 907 vessels in CY17, 6 fewer than the total of CY16. Number of Handy-size and Cape-size vessels had increased during the year to 407 and 279 respectively, while the Panamax vessels loaded during the year were reduced to 221, down 47 from 283 in CY16.
South African Coal Offers:
South African coal prices have not experienced significant change during the month. Coal index API-4, which forms the basis for determining coal prices, had been prevailing in the range of USD 96-98 during the month.
At present, South African 5500 NAR coal was available at a discount of USD 8.5-9/MT on index price, at USD 81-82/MT, FoB Richards Bay. 4800 NAR coal was offered with a discount of USD 13.5/MT, at USD 67-68/MT, FoB Richards Bay.
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