According to the vessel line-up data compiled by CoalMint Research, Pakistan’s coal import shipments have increased 91% on the year to 1,290,737 MT in Feb’19, as against 676,847 MT in Feb’18.
Imports had however come down slightly on the month, from 1,296,707 MT in Jan’19.
There was a fall in coal sourcing from Pakistan’s major coal consuming sector- power, cement and traders, while the remaining sector comprising of textile, chemical, paper industries and others had registered m-o-m growth during Feb’19.
An origin wise break-up indicates that Pakistan’s coal imports from its major suppliers-South Africa and Indonesia had increased despite an overall fall in coal volumes.
South African coal supplies had increased 3% M-o-M to 878,909 MT, while Indonesian coal supplies had grew 23% on the month to 411,828 MT in Feb’19.
No shipments were procured from Mozambique and Russia during Feb’19, unlike the previous month.
Government urged to facilitate transportation of coal:
Pakistan’s coal imports is expected to reach 30 MnT per annum by 2020, due to the planned expansion of cement manufacturers and coal-based power plants scheduled to come online in a couple of years.
It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Court had banned the handling of coal at Karachi Port due to pollution and other reasons, which now has been shifted to a dedicated terminal at Port Qasim namely Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT).
Though the shifting of coal handling from Karachi Port to Port Qasim facilitated the cement manufacturers in the northern region, there is still a lot of room for improvement in this sector.
Market participants have been demanding a dedicated cargo rail track to connect Port Qasim to other cities of the country so as to minimise the environmental issues and reduce transportation cost.
The plan if implemented will not only enable Pakistan Railway to increase its revenue manifold but also save the roads and highways from an unnecessary burden, reasoned the source.
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