Coal exports fall at Canadian port

Coal exports from Canada's Ridley Terminals totalled 830,659 t in May, down 4.4% from April and down 40.3% from May 2013, according to data that the Prince Rupert Port Authority released last week.

The decline comes as Pacific metallurgical coal prices continue to show weakness.

Ann Marie Hann, president of the Calgary-based Coal Association of Canada, said the drop in metallurgical pricing is largely because of a flood of supply from Australia. She suggested that metallurgical coal exports are likely to decline further, given that "quite a few [Australian] producers are producing at a loss."

Ridley Terminals, in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, primarily exports metallurgical coal from Canadian producers, but also exports some thermal coal, including Powder River Basin (PRB) coal from US producers. It is the closest major coal export terminal to Asia, and the Canadian National railroad serves it.

Metallurgical coal exports in May totalled 344,203 t, down 37.4% from Apriland down 58.8% from the May 2013. Year-to-date metalurgical coal exports total more than 2.2 million t, down 36.2% from last year.

Thermal coal exports totalled 410,704 t in May, up 128.2% from April and up 59.6% from May 2013. For the year, thermal coal exports total more than 1.1 million t, up 12.7% compared with 2013.

For the year, combined exports from the terminal total more than 3.7 million t, down 27.2% from last year.

Edited from various sources by Sam Dodson

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/handling/10062014/coal_exports_fall_at_canadian_port_957/