Richards Bay exports rise to highest in three years
Coal exports from RBCT were up 10% to 52.08-million tonnes in 2024 amid signs of improving freight rail performance
24 January 2025 - 14:11
byAgency Staff
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Richards Bay Coal Terminal. Picture: REUTERS/TANISHA HEIBERG
Coal exports from Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) rose 10% to 52.08-million tonnes in 2024, the highest in three years, amid signs of improving freight rail performance.
SA’s coal shipments have declined from 76-million tonnes in 2017, mainly due to state-owned freight rail and port operator Transnet’s lack of capacity to haul commodities to export markets.
Coal exports through RBCT, SA’s main coal export terminal, fell to 47.21-million tonnes in 2023, the lowest since 1992.
Transnet’s struggles are blamed on a lack of locomotives and spares, as well as cable theft and vandalism of its infrastructure. This has forced some minerals exporters to resort to trucking to port, with some commodity cargo now going through Mozambique.
However, some major coal exporters, including Thungela Resources and Exxaro Resources, said they noted improved freight rail performance during the second half of 2024.
RBCT said in a performance update on Friday that 6,342 trains were offloaded at the terminal in 2024, up from 5,820 the year before. The average number of trains also edged up to 17 a day in 2024, from 16 the previous year.
In 2024, Asia’s share of SA’s coal exports increased to 43.99-million tonnes, or 84.5% of the total, up from 37.1-million the previous year. India accounted for 25.75-million tonnes while Pakistan imported 2.37-million tonnes.
Shipments to Europe, which surged to 14.3-million tonnes in 2022 when the EU banned coal from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, further declined to 3.54-million tonnes last year, after falling to 6.8-million tonnes in 2023.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Richards Bay exports rise to highest in three years
Coal exports from RBCT were up 10% to 52.08-million tonnes in 2024 amid signs of improving freight rail performance
Coal exports from Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) rose 10% to 52.08-million tonnes in 2024, the highest in three years, amid signs of improving freight rail performance.
SA’s coal shipments have declined from 76-million tonnes in 2017, mainly due to state-owned freight rail and port operator Transnet’s lack of capacity to haul commodities to export markets.
Coal exports through RBCT, SA’s main coal export terminal, fell to 47.21-million tonnes in 2023, the lowest since 1992.
Transnet’s struggles are blamed on a lack of locomotives and spares, as well as cable theft and vandalism of its infrastructure. This has forced some minerals exporters to resort to trucking to port, with some commodity cargo now going through Mozambique.
However, some major coal exporters, including Thungela Resources and Exxaro Resources, said they noted improved freight rail performance during the second half of 2024.
RBCT said in a performance update on Friday that 6,342 trains were offloaded at the terminal in 2024, up from 5,820 the year before. The average number of trains also edged up to 17 a day in 2024, from 16 the previous year.
In 2024, Asia’s share of SA’s coal exports increased to 43.99-million tonnes, or 84.5% of the total, up from 37.1-million the previous year. India accounted for 25.75-million tonnes while Pakistan imported 2.37-million tonnes.
Shipments to Europe, which surged to 14.3-million tonnes in 2022 when the EU banned coal from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, further declined to 3.54-million tonnes last year, after falling to 6.8-million tonnes in 2023.
Reuters
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