Australian Iron Ore and Coal Exports Diverge in July

Coal, Iron Ore

Australian iron ore exports rose 3.3 Mt year-on-year to 76.1 Mt (wet basis) in July, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Shipments eased from a record 85.2 Mt in June, while January-July exports climbed to 525.0 Mt (+27.2 Mt).

Meanwhile, Australian steam coal exports (including anthracite) dropped to a more than seven-year low of 14.3 Mt in July (-6.4 Mt on the year), bringing year-to-date shipments down to 116.3 Mt from 122.2 Mt in the same months of 2019. The country’s coking coal loadings declined 1.9 Mt to 13.6 Mt in July, with exports falling to 98.7 Mt (-9.5 Mt) in January-July.