Queensland Coal Exports Tumble in 2020

Coal

Combined coal exports from the four main Queensland ports of Abbot Point, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, Gladstone and Hay Point dropped 18.3 Mt year-on-year to 201.8 Mt in 2020, the lowest since 2013, port authority data show.

Shipments in the final month of 2020 extended a trend of annual falls posted in each month since March, shedding 2.1 Mt on the year to 18.7 Mt. However, this was up from 15.7 Mt in November. Shipments from Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal were at a 2020 peak of 5.2 Mt in December, but still down 1.5 Mt year-on-year. Gladstone exports edged lower 0.5 Mt to 6.4 Mt, although this was offset by shipments from Hay Point growing to 4.4 Mt. Meanwhile, loadings from Abbot Point declined 0.6 Mt to 2.6 Mt.