Coal exports to China from the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal in Queensland, Australia, slumped in October by 38% month on month and 44% year on year, at 741,006 mt, according to data released Thursday by the terminal operator.
The China-bound October shipments were 34% lower than the 12-month rolling average of 1.13 million mt/month, and follows a similar slump in August when a 12-month low of 700,425 mt was sent, data collected from DBCT Management showed.
Exports to China from Australia had surged in recent months following Beijing placing restrictions on domestic production. Exports peaked in March, when 1.60 million mt was sent to China from DBCT.
DBCT exports to India, which surged in September, making it the largest export destination for the month, eased back in October.
The Queensland state government-owned common user facility shipped 909,707 mt to India in October, down 42% month on month but up 241% year on year, the figures showed. The monthly total is 7% above the 12-month rolling average for exports to India of 850,619 mt.
In September, India was sent the lion's share of DBCT coal with 23%, but its share sank to 17% in October, dropping below both Japan and South Korea.
Exports to Japan from DBCT were at a seven-month low of 1.12 million mt in October -- down 13% month on month and 17% year on year -- and were 7% lower than the 12-month rolling average of 1.20 million mt.
Shipments to South Korea fell 11% from September's 1.17 million mt to 1.04 million mt in October, but were up 35% year on year and 19% higher than the 12-month rolling average of 944,203 mt, data showed.
South America was sent its largest volume in 11 months with 335,467 mt in October, which is up 285% month on month and 200% year on year, and 50% higher than the 12-month rolling average of 223,320 mt, according to the figures.
Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Glencore, Peabody Energy and Rio Tinto are among the coal producers that ship via DBCT.
Europe, Taiwan and parts of Asia were among the other destinations for coal sent from the DBCT terminal in October.
Shipped volumes from DBCT totaled 5.51 million mt in October, according to DBCT Management, which is down 17% from September, up 5% year on year and only slightly below the 12-month rolling average of 5.57 million mt.
The breakdown of how much coal shipped from DBCT is thermal and metallurgical is not immediately available, however, a source close to the facility said earlier this year that generally it is 18% thermal coal and about 82% metallurgical coal.
The terminal has an 85 million mt/year shipment capacity, and from January to October, it has shipped 56.90 million mt, which translates to an annualized rate of 68.10 million mt/year, the DBCT Management figures showed.
On Thursday, there was one coal vessel loading at DBCT and nine at anchor, which is fairly well in line with the average of around two loading and nine queuing seen in October, DBCT Management data showed.
