Coal news and updates

ARA coal stock levels below 6 mt for first time since April

Combined coal stocks at delivery ports in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp region dropped below 6 million mt for the first time since mid-April, according to port sources Wednesday.

Total ARA coal stocks were 5.95 million mt this week, compared with 5.7 million mt a year ago, according to Platts data.

Port sources said coal stocks at the EMO Dry Bulk Terminal in Rotterdam fell 400,000 mt week on week to a 12-week low of around 3.1 million mt Wednesday, while stocks at OBA Bulk Amsterdam fell about 100,000 mt to 2.4 million mt.

Coal stocks for the OVET Dry Bulk Terminal in Vlissingen rose 50,000 mt on the week to 450,000 mt Monday.

One port source said the drop in EMO stock vessels was because of "hardly any [vessel] arrivals this week."

Platts assessed the price of European-delivered CIF ARA thermal coal basis 6,000 kcal/kg NAR and for delivery within the next 15-60 days at $71.10/mt Tuesday, down 75 cents/mt on the week.

Source: Platts