- Over 7 mnt received through 13 Sep; another 6 mnt in identified vessel pipeline
- Indonesia dominates forward pipeline; US, South African cargoes gain prominence
India’s coal import programme remains active in September 2026, with vessel data indicating around 13.55 mnt of coal and related products either already recorded or in the identified pipeline for the month.
Around 7.20 mnt was recorded during 1-13 September, while the vessel lineup compiled through 14 September shows another 6.35 mnt of September-dated cargoes at berth, anchorage, or expected later in the month.
Of this pipeline, around 1.68 mnt was already at berth or anchorage, while approximately 4.68 mnt was expected to arrive subsequently.
The figures represent the visible vessel programme rather than a final September import forecast, as arrival schedules can change and additional vessels can enter the lineup.
Non-coking coal dominates Sep flows
Non-coking coal remains the largest component, with around 4.07 mnt recorded through 13 September and another 3.42 mnt in the pipeline. This takes the currently visible September non-coking coal flow to almost 7.5 mnt, or more than half of total identified volumes.
Coking coal follows at around 4.37 mnt, comprising 2.42 mnt already recorded and 1.94 mnt in the pipeline. Petcoke is particularly noteworthy: only about 0.29 mnt was recorded through 13 September, but another 0.62 mnt was identified in the pipeline, potentially lifting the visible monthly flow to around 0.92 mnt.
The September data show cargoes arriving from Indonesia, Australia, Russia, the US, South Africa and Mozambique, among other origins, with considerable differentiation by commodity and end-user.
Origin mix reveals distinct end-user patterns
Indonesia remains the backbone of India’s non-coking coal trade, but the forward pipeline is becoming more diversified.
Of imports already recorded through 13 September, Indonesia accounted for around 2.93 mnt, followed by Australia at 1.79 mnt, Russia at 1.04 mnt, the US at 0.62 mnt, South Africa at 0.42 mnt, and Mozambique at 0.40 mnt.
The forward pipeline looks different. Indonesian volumes remain the largest, but South African, US, and Russian cargoes become considerably more prominent, particularly across non-coking coal, petcoke, and metallurgical coal.
The vessel-level data show large South African non-coking coal parcels heading to Paradip, Ennore, and western Indian ports, while US cargoes feature prominently at Kandla and other west-coast destinations.
US coal finds growing cement-sector demand
The US component of the pipeline is particularly interesting.
US non-coking coal is heading to buyers including UltraTech Cement, Shree Cement and Tata Power, while the petcoke programme includes Shree Cement, UltraTech Cement and JK Cement, among others.
This suggests that US-origin fuel is finding a particularly visible market among cement producers, where buyers can compare coal and petcoke on delivered energy and sulphur-adjusted economics.
The lineup includes US non-coking coal from Baltimore for UltraTech at Kandla and additional cargoes for western and southern India. It also shows multiple US petcoke parcels into Kandla, Jaigarh and other ports.
South African coal broadens thermal supply mix
South Africa also gains importance in the second-half September programme.
Cargoes from Richards Bay are heading to consumers including Tata Power, Tata Steel, JSW-linked entities, Shyam Group and Mohit Minerals, with arrivals spread across Paradip, Ennore, Mundra, Mangalore, Jaigarh and Haldia.
Several are relatively large parcels, including Capesize cargoes, making South Africa an increasingly visible alternative to Indonesia in India’s higher-CV non-coking coal supply mix. The lineup shows, for example, a 153,484 t South African cargo for Shyam Group at Paradip alongside other Richards Bay shipments.
Australia, Russia remain anchored to steel
The metallurgical coal pipeline presents a distinctly different picture.
Australia remains strongly associated with coking coal requirements at Tata Steel, JSW Steel and Jindal-linked steel operations, with major discharge points including Dhamra, Paradip, Jaigarh and Mormugao.
Russia is also heavily represented in the steel chain. JSW Steel is particularly prominent across Russian coking coal, PCI and some non-coking coal cargoes, with shipments heading to Jaigarh, Mormugao, Ennore and Mangalore.
This illustrates the increasingly differentiated role of origins in India’s import basket: Australia remains a core premium metallurgical supplier, while Russia supplies a broader range of steelmaking coals.
West coast leads outstanding pipeline
The geographical distribution is also shifting.
Imports recorded through 13 September were almost evenly split, with around 3.67 mnt entering western India and 3.53 mnt through eastern and southern ports classified as ECI in the dataset.
The outstanding September pipeline is more west-coast weighted, with around 3.79 mnt destined for western ports compared with about 2.56 mnt for ECI.
Kandla, Mundra, Navlakhi, Hazira, Jaigarh and Mangalore feature prominently, reflecting strong requirements from cement, power, steel and merchant consumers.
BigMint assessment
India’s September vessel lineup points to a healthy seaborne coal requirement, but the more important signal lies in the changing composition of the pipeline.
Indonesia remains India’s broad-based non-coking coal supplier, serving utilities, industrial users, and merchants. However, South African and US material becomes substantially more visible in forward arrivals. US coal and petcoke are particularly prominent among cement-sector consumers, while South African higher-CV coal is reaching a wider range of power and industrial buyers.
The metallurgical market follows a different pattern, with Australia and Russia firmly anchored to India’s steel sector.
With around 7.20 mnt already recorded and another 6.35 mnt identified in the September pipeline, visible monthly flows stand at about 13.55 mnt. The eventual figure could move higher or lower as vessel schedules change and further cargoes are added.
More importantly, the pipeline suggests that India’s import requirement is becoming increasingly segmented by fuel quality, end-user economics, and coastal location — rather than being driven simply by headline coal demand.
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