Colombian September coal exports almost triple

Colombia’s coal exports in September almost tripled year-on-year to 8.225 million t, a 110.1% rise from the same month last year, and an increase of 10.7% from August, according to data from DANE, the country’s statistics department.

Coal export sales volumes in September totalled US$ 640.605 million FOB, an increase of 65.7% from 2012 and 7% from August.

In September last year, Colombian coal producers were still recovering form a 23-day strike at the Fenoco railway line, which transports coal from mines of producers Drummond, Glencore and Goldman Sachs’ Colombian Natural Resources to the ports on the coast of the Caribbean.

However, DANE data also showed coal exports in the nine months to September 2013 fell 4.3% year-on-year to 54.634 million t, while FOB sales volumes over the same period fell 18% to US$ 4.7i86 billion.

This year, Colombian coal output has been hit by a number of disruptions including labour strikes and terrorist attacks, resulting in an expectation that coal production targets will not be met this year.

Cerrejon, Colombia’s largest coal miner, announced that it has revised it production target down to 34 million t and its export target to 33.5 million t for 2013.

Edited from various sources by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/12112013/colombian_coal_exports_almost_triple_245/