Australia lost 41.6 million tonnes of coal sales to major Asian buyers

Australia's sale of coal to 5 major Asian buyers has been recorded -31% short of same period of last year during Jan-May. As per China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam Customs Houses and IMAN India (Jan-April only), Australia exported 92.4 million tonnes of coal to these 5 countries, representing a 31% fall.


China's 5 month total coal imports were only 112 million tonnes, 25% less than 2020, among which nothing was from Australia due to coal ban, while Jan-May 2020 Australia sold 48 million tonnes to China;

Japan's 5 months imports were 3% short of 2020, but Australian coal imports were 13% down from same period of last year, only 39 million tonnes in 2021;

Vietnam's coal imports were 34% less during the 5 months time, Australia's share was 25% less than 2020.

Korea's coal imports were 5 percent less in total, but it increased buy from Australia making the south hemisphere country supply going up to 22.7 million tonnes, 16% YoY;

The best is India. In terms of thermal & coking coal, as per IMAN, though it reduced coal imports by 2 percent in the first 5 months, Australian supply bounced sharply by 91% up compared with same period of last year. Of which, thermal coal jumped from 1.6 million tonnes to 7.2 millions, coking coal hiked to 16.8 million tonnes (2020 11 million tonnes).

The five importers' total coal imports during the period were 51.6 million tonnes short of last year.