Coal exports from Australia's Newcastle port fell 25 per cent from the previous week, while vessel arrivals also slipped, suggesting softer demand for the fuel.
Exports from the east coast port, the world's largest coal export terminal, fell to 1.383 million tonnes in the week to Feb 16, port data on its website showed yesterday.
The number of ship arrivals, a key indicator of demand, fell by three to just 17. Vessel arrivals at the port have been hovering at 20 or less since the start of this month, when it languished at just 16 ships.
Industry sources said that thermal coal demand from industrial users has been hard hit by the global economic slowdown and some end-users have had to postpone shipments.
Ship queues also fell to 17 vessels, down 4 from last week, the port said, while waiting time for vessels scheduled to load coal hovered at 8.7 days.
The port's vessel queue is expected to fall to 7 at the end of the month, the port's operator Hunter Valley Coal Chain Logistics Team said on its website on Monday.
About 80 per cent of the coal shipped through the port is thermal coal used mainly by power stations. Companies shipping through the Newcastle port include Xstrata plc , Coal & Allied Industries Ltd which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto Ltd, and Centennial Coal Ltd.