International demand for metallurgical coal increased exports in July at British Columbia-based Ridley Terminals, where total exports rose 59% month on month, Prince Rupert Port Authority data showed Aug. 17.
Total coal exports from the Canadian terminal were 688,522 mt in July, up from 433,454 mt in June, but down from 944,908 mt in the year-ago month. July was up 13.4% from the five-year average 607,033 mt for the corresponding month.
Through the first seven months of 2021, total coal exports were 3.99 million mt, down 38.2% on the year and the lowest since July 2017 when 3.15 million mt were exported.
Met coal accounted for 91.3%, or 628,522 mt, of Ridley Terminals’ total July exports. Met coal exports rose 45% month on month and 80.8% from the year-ago month. The exports hit a six-month high during the month. Met coal exports during January-July stood at 2.88 million mt, down 13.3% on the year.
Thermal coal exports also rose month on month, from zero in June to 60,000 mt in July. Thermal coal exports in January-July period stood at 1.12 million mt, a 90% decrease from the year-ago month when 597,357 mt was exported.
Petcoke exports from Ridley Terminals dropped 41.5% month on month from 131,566 mt in June to 77,000 mt in July. Compared with the year-ago month, petcoke exports dropped by 50.2%. From January through July, total petcoke exports stood at 911,331 mt, a 3.7% increase on the year.
Source: Platts