Colombian thermal coal exports climbed to 7.4 million mt in May, posting a 10% increase on levels seen in April to reach three-month highs, data from Colombian shipping agent Deep Blue showed late Friday.
The volume was more or less steady in year on year comparisons, at just 0.7% lower than May 2015.
Turkey was reinstated as the largest destination for Colombian exports in May, with volumes reaching 1.6 million mt, the highest level since Platts records began. The volume was more than double the 727,000 mt shipped during the same month a year ago and 26% higher than April.
Exports to the Netherlands were also at their highest level for three months, at just over 1 million mt, up 57% from April, although this was 38% lower year-on-year.
This bolstered offtake from the wider European region, which totaled just over 2 million mt in May, according to the data.
Although appetite from India had begun to slow on rising freight rates and the approaching monsoon season, shifting arbitrage opportunities also opened new trade flows for Colombian material into Asia, with over 1 million mt heading east.
Two Capesize shipments of thermal coal were received by buyers in South Korea and China, while Thailand also took delivery of 161,000 mt, as buyers sought alternative sources of supply in the wake of lower availability from Indonesia.
A total of four shipments were received in India, sold by Glencore, from Drummond and totaling around 500,000 mt. This was a 60% drop from April, when Colombia had exported over 1 million mt of thermal coal to India, although it remained 95% higher in year on year comparisons.
Since the arbitrage for Colombian coal to India opened earlier this year, 16 vessels containing a combined 2.49 total million mt have been exported to the country.
During the first five months of 2016, thermal coal exports were almost 2% higher on the year to 34.4 million mt.
Coking coal exports from the country surged to 137,290 mt -- the highest level since December 2015 -- while coke also also increased 61% on the month to reach 131,618 mt, the data showed.
CARBOSAN SHIPMENTS FALL FOLLOWING SUSPENSION
Thermal coal shipments from third-party port Carbosan-Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta dropped to their lowest level since January following a suspension of operations at the port in mid-May.
Colombia's environmental license authority ANLA had found that the company's environmental management plan had been breached, threatening wildlife, air and water quality around the port, prompting the suspension of receipt, storage and loading of coal. Loadings were resumed in early June.
Exports had fallen to 167,187 mt, down 46% from April and 48% year on year, according to the data.
Elsewhere, exports from the country's largest miner Cerrejon's Puerto Bolivar terminal fell 3.1% on the year to 3 million, but gained 19% on the month.
Puerto Drummond exports edged slightly, while Puerto Nuevo, owned by Glencore unit Prodeco, shipped 1.6 million mt, a 5.6% increase from May and gaining 18% on the year.
The monthly May average for Platts FOB Colombia 6,000 kcal/kg NAR thermal coal price edged up to $44/mt, compared to $43.12/mt in April, as delivered prices in Asia and Europe trended higher over the month.
