Coal exports via RBCT down

11 Mar 2013

Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) saw a 10.4% year-on-year (y/y) decline in tonnage shipped to 5.5m tons (Mt) in February after a 5.6% y/y drop in January to 4.2Mt.

Last year RBCT shipped a total of 68.3Mt‚ a 4.3% increase on 2011.

RBCT currently has a capacity to export 91Mt a year and in October will decide whether to expand that to 110Mt in the sixth phase expansion plan.

Coal exports from RBCT in October 2011 reached a record of 7.381Mt or an annualised 88.6Mt.

State-owned freight and logistics group Transnet is aiming to increase coal exports from 68Mt to 97.5Mt a year over the next few years as it invests in more rolling stock.

The poor start to the year in coal exports shows that the SA economy is unlikely to gain from export demand in 2013 after a real decline in exports last year.

In March last year‚ RBCT shipped 6‚239Mt so it may be able to match that total in March this year‚ as stocks were at 4‚352Mt at the end of February compared with only 2‚824Mt at the same time last year.