South Korean Steam Coal Imports Tumble

Coal

South Korean steam coal imports dropped to 7.2 Mt (including anthracite) in March, inching down from 7.3 Mt in March 2019 to the lowest since January 2010, according to data gathered by IHS.

The country’s 1q20 steam coal receipts tumbled to 23.6 Mt, falling by 5.3 Mt year-on-year. Imports from Australia fell by 1.8 Mt on the year to 9.7 Mt in January-March, while receipts of Indonesian coal declined by 2.1 Mt to 6.9 Mt. The country’s imports of Russian product eased by 0.4 Mt on the year to 3.6 Mt.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s coking coal imports inched up by 0.1 Mt year-on-year to 5.5 Mt in 1q20, of which March receipts made up 1.9 Mt (+0.4 Mt).