Coal news and updates

India’s imported coal stocks marginally down on first day of May

May 7: India's imported coal stocks, including steam coal, coking coal and coke at seven major ports fell by 2.06% to 4.27 million tons (mt) as on the first day of May compared to 4.36 mt recorded on the first day of April, according to provisional data compiled by by ICMW based on data received from port officials.

The decline in imported coal stocks as on May 1 was attributed to fall in inventory at New Mangalore Port (NMPT), V O Chidambaranar Port (formerly Turicorin Port), Kandla Port, Mumbai Port and Mormugao Port despite marginal rise in inventory level at Kolkata and Paradip Port.

At NMPT imported coal stocks fell 13.33% to 0.65 mt on the first day of May compared to 0.75 mt on the first day of April. In March, the coal stocks at the port stood at 0.55 mt.

At V O Chidambaranar Port, imported coal stocks as on the first day of the month dropped 2.33% to 0.84 mt compared to 0.86 as on the first day of April. On the first day of March the coal stocks of the port stood at 0.83 mt.

At Paradip Port, imported coal stocks rose almost 17% to 1.366 mt on May 1, 2014, compared to 1.168 as on March 26, 2014. On March 1, the imported coal stocks of the port stood at 1.084 mt.

At Kolkata Port, the stock of imported coal increased by almost 61% to 0.50 mt on the first day of May compared to 0.31 mt as on April 1, 2014. On the first day of March imported coal stocks of the port stood at 0.39 mt.

During the current month, imported coal stocks at Mumbai Port a dropped 18% to 0.18 mt compared to 0.22 mt in the same day a month ago.

At Kandla Port too imported coal stocks dropped almost 24% to 0.70 mt as on the first day of May compared to 0.92 mt on the first day of April. On the first day of March the inventory in March stood at 1.023 mt .

Mormugao Port's imported coal stocks dropped  nearly 77% to 0.03 mt as on the first day of the month compared to 0.13 mt as on the first day of April. On March 1, 1014, the imported coal stocks of the port stood at 0.15 mt.

The following table gives break-up of port-wise imported coal stocks as on May 1,2014 April 1, 2014 compared to March 1, 2014 and February 1, 2014 (in million tons):

*Stock at Paradip as on March 26 instead of April 1. 2014