South Korean coal imports have attained a 6-month high total during Jul’19, as the country witnesses an upsurge in non-coking coal shipments.
Data provided by customs indicates that coal import by the country had increased 26% M-o-M to 12.95 MnT in Jul’19 compared with 10.27 MnT in Jun’19. Besides, the high volume of coal intake had eventually helped the country to attain its first y-o-y growth since Feb’19.
South Korean imports in Jul’19 were marked 5% higher on the year from 12.34 MnT in Jul’18.
Grade-wise Coal Imports:
Over the period, South Korean imports of non-coking coal had recorded remarkable growth in Jul’19, following an uptick in demand during summer.
Imports of non-coking coal surged 42% M-o-M to 10.59 MnT in Jul’19, compared with 7.44 MnT in Jun’19.
On the other hand, imports of coking and anthracite coal continued their declining trend during the month. Coking coal imports decreased 27% on the month to 1.46 MnT, while Anthracite coal shipments slipped 2% M-o-M to 0.6 MnT in Jul’19.
| Grades | Jul’19 | Jun’19 | % Change |
| Non Coking Coal | 10.59 | 7.44 | 42% |
| Coking Coal | 1.46 | 2 | -27% |
| Anthracite | 0.60 | 0.61 | -2% |
| Pet Coke | 0.13 | 0.06 | 117% |
| Met Coke | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0% |
| Others | 0.15 | 0.13 | 15% |
| Grand Total | 12.95 | 10.27 | 26% |
Source: South Korean customs
Quantity in MnT
Major Coal Exporters:
South Korean major coal supplier-Australia had shipped 4.39 MnT coal during Jul’19, up 49% M-o-M from 2.94 MnT in Jun’19, also rising 28% higher y-o-y from 3.44 MnT in Jul’18.
Australia remains the only major origin to have grown in the South Korean import mix this year, with January-Jul shipments up by 14% Y-o-Y to 28.99 MnT. Notably, growth in Australian supply has been fully offset by weaker flows elsewhere.
Russian coal has emerged as a preferred option for South Korean buyers due to its increasingly competitive prices in comparison with Indonesian coal.
Coal supplies from Russia stood 37% higher on the month at 3.46 MnT in Jul’19, which was also marked ahead of the monthly coal shipments delivered by Indonesia noted at 2.49 MnT in the same period.
Among the major coal suppliers, Canada and China had noticed a fall in monthly coal shipments delivered to South Korea. Meanwhile, South Africa had recorded coal supplies of 0.23 MnT during Jul’19, after recording a blank in the previous month.
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