Bulk exports rose by 6.6% in 2011 to 141.493 Mt after a 9.0% jump in 2010. So far this year, bulk exports have risen by 9.2%.
The slower growth last year was in part due to weather-related disruptions as well as cable theft on the Mpumalanga-Richards Bay coal line‚ which resulted in derailments and other disruptions to traffic.
The coal line was closed for 20 days in May and June 2011 for maintenance but in October exports out of Richards Bay exceeded 8 Mt or an annualised 96 Mt. This eased to 7.3 Mt in November before rising to 7.5 Mt in December and 7.7 Mt or an annualised 92 Mt in January 2012.
Shipments from Richards Bay for the first nine months of this year were up 13.7%.
Last year shipments, mostly coal, from Richards Bay‚ were disappointing with a 1.4% rise in volumes to 76 Mt. Iron ore shipments from Saldanha Bay increased by 12.3% to 53.3 Mt. However, in the first nine months of 2012 bulk exports out of Saldanha rose by only 4.6% y/y.
The star performer last year was agricultural and manganese exports from other South African ports‚ such as Durban and Port Elizabeth‚ which jumped by 18.7% to 12.2 Mt. In the first nine months of 2012‚ there was a 2.6% y/y increase due to a slow first quarter with the year-on-year increase rising to 15.2% in June as maize was harvested earlier than expected. In September there was a 5.1% y/y decline in this category.
The majority of mineral exports go to China, India‚ Japan and South Korea which use South African coal for their thermal power stations and iron ore for their steel mills.
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
