Coal Trade

Great Lakes Limestone & Coal Trade Up

Lakes Limestone Trade up 16% in September Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3,461,606 net tons in September, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to August, and 16 percent better than a year ago.  However, the trade was down 10.7% compared to the month’s 5-year average. Loadings at U.S. ports were up 342,000 tons compared to a year ago.  Shipments from Canadian docks increase by 135,000 tons. Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 20.5 million net tons, an increase of 25.2% compared to a year ago, but a decrease of 15% compared to the five-year average for the first three quarters.  Loadings at U.S. ports are up 28 percent compared to a year ago.  Shipments from Canadian docks are 15.4% ahead of last year’s pace. Great Lakes Coal Trade Up 32.5 Percent in September Coal shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 3,648,453 net tons in September, a decrease of 6.8% compared to August, but an increase of 32.5% compared to a year ago.  Compared to the month’s five-year average, loadings were down 7.4%. Shipments from Lake Superior rose noticeably from a year ago – 35% – and were on par with the month’s five-year average.  Loadings in Chicago increased by 145% compared to a year ago and all but equaled the month’s five-year average.  The coal trade out of Lake Erie increased 13.6% compared to a year ago, but was nearly 20% off September’s five-year average.

Great Lakes April Coal Shipments Unchanged from a Year Ago

Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.2 million tons in April, a virtual tie with a year ago.  The trade was 19 percent below the month’s five-year average, however. Shipments from Lake Superior ports totaled 1.4 million tons, a slight increase from a year ago. Included in that total were 168,000 tons loaded in Superior, Wisconsin and transshipped to Québec City for loading into oceangoing colliers.

News: Lakes Shipping Down 1.4 Percent in 2002

Dry-bulk cargo movement on the Great Lakes totaled 162.3 million net tons in 2002, a decrease of 1.4 percent compared to 2001 and a drop of 6 percent compared to the 5-year average. Iron ore shipments totaled 58.9 million net tons in 2002, an increase of 5.8 percent compared to 2001, but a decrease of 9.2 percent compared to the 5-year average. North American raw steel production totaled an estimated 101.7 million tons in 2002, an increase of 2

Stiff Rate Increases Seen For Atlantic Capers

Some stiff rate increases for Atlantic capers were seen for business to China and for trans-Atlantic coal, brokers said last Wednesday. Panamax rates were still drifting from the U.S. Gulf due to lack of orders, but levels in the Far East for these vessels remained firmer, they added. Conditions for handy size vessels and to a lesser extent smaller geared tonnage, were generally better in the Atlantic. The Baltic Freight Index (BFI) rose six points to 1,223

K'Line Announces Delivery of Corona Lions

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. announced the launch of the Corona Lions, a new 85,600 DWT-type coal carrier at Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Japan. The Corona series, which K Line originated and continues to develop, consists of epoch-making coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, which is the most suitable type to enter the ports of domestic thermal power plants to discharge cargo. With this new deployment, the Corona series now consists of 10 carriers

Lakes Coal Surges in November

Coal shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 4.1 million net tons in November, an increase of 21 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were also up nearly 7 compared to the month’s 5-year average. Shipments of low-sulfur coal from Superior Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, accounted for most of the increase. Nonetheless, the dredging crisis continued to hamper shipments. Not one coal cargo topped65,000 tons in November, and many were in the 63,000-ton range

U.S.-Flag Carriage Inches Upward Again In June

U.S.-Flag shipments of dry-bulk cargo on the Great Lakes in June totaled 11.4 million net tons, a decrease of 3 percent compared to a year ago. However, the June total represents the second month in a row in which the gap between this season and last has narrowed significantly. The 2002 season began with a 20-percent decrease in April, the first full month of navigation in the dry-bulk trades, but May float was down by 9.4 percent.

Wah Kwong Goes Private

Wah Kwong Shippping Holdings said its shareholders approved a joint HK$50 million buy-out bid from Belgium's Compagnie Maritime Belge SA (CMB) and Wah Kwong president George Chao. Company shares will resume trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The last day of trading for Wah Kwong shares in London is July 21, and July 24 for Hong Kong. Delisting is scheduled for July 26. The joint offer from CMB and Chao was made at HK$5.65 per share, to acquire 57.7 percent of Wah Kwong shares

COSCO Diverts Ships for Domestic Use

COSCO Holdings Co has reportedly diverted ships for domestic coal transportation, according to a Reuters report. COSCO Holdings said on its website that it had shifted the vessels from its international fleet, and was using 34 vessels to transport coal along China's coast. They had shipped about 3 million tons of coal from the northern producing areas to the south.

Lightering Indonesian Coal

A tug tows a loaded coal barge down the Mahakam River past the city of Samarinda. Alan Haig-Brown/Cummins photo Passing the town of Samarinda, just above the deltas and about 30 kilometers up river from the sea, a steady parade of tugs towing barges are moving thousands of tons of coal from several large mines further up the river. Some of these tow barge loads of coal to neighboring Southeast Asian nations while others take to coal barges out of the river and alongside deep-sea vessels