The performance of the Hunter Valley supply chain for coal exports in New South Wales, slipped to an 11-week low in the seven-day period to 7 am Australian Eastern Daylight Time Monday
(2000 GMT October 30) at 1.86 million mt of coal shipped in 20 vessels, according to an operations report posted on Newcastle Port Corp’s website.
There was no immediate explanation for the 24% week on week coal exports decline announced in Newcastle Port Corp.’s export performance report, as in the preceding week period ended 7 am AEDT October 24, 2.45 million mt of coal exports had been loaded into 29 ships at Newcastle port.
A separate report issued by the Hunter Valley coal chain coordinator said Newcastle terminals operator Port Waratah Coal Services had fallen short of its ship-loading target of 1.9 million mt for coal exports last week.
“PWCS shiploading for the week was 354,000 mt below the PWCS declared outbound throughput [target of 1.58 million mt]. PWCS port stocks have increased to 1.6 million mt,” said HVCCC in its performance report for the week ended October 30.
Cargo assembly rates in the Hunter Valley coal chain at 2.4 million mt were only 6,000 mt under target for the week, said the coordinator for the Hunter Valley coal chain which feeds coal exports from 35 coal mines controlled by producers including, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Peabody Energy, Rio Tinto and Xstrata to Newcastle port.
“Member [coal cargo] losses finished the week at 10.5% compared to the target of 13.6%,” said HVCCC in its report.
The offshore vessel queue for PWCS’ two coal terminals is forecast to taper-off slightly to 47 ships by the end of November, based on ship-loading volumes for the month of 7.8 million mt, said HVCCC in its report.
Previously, in a report dated October 23, the Hunter Valley coal chain coordinator had forecast a combined vessel queue for the two PWCS terminals of 50 ships by the end of November — potentially its highest since June 2010.
Planned maintenance to a significant section of the Hunter Valley railway from November 22-25 was the reason for the growth in the vessel queue for the PWCS terminals, said HVCCC.
Vessels entering Newcastle port last week had waited an average of 11 days in the port’s offshore vessel queue, an increase on 9.6 days a week earlier, NPC said in its report.
Newcastle port said there were 13 ships in its offshore queue and waiting to load coal exports on October 31, up from 10 ships in the preceding week, and the number of ships with a seven-day notified arrival time for the port was stable week on week at 58 vessels.
Coal export statistics for the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group terminal were included in Newcastle Port Corp.’s report, but were not provided in the HVCCC’s report.
(http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/Coal/8522622).
Source: Michael Cooper, Platts