Japan: Coking Coal Imports Down 9.4% in Apr'17

In Japan, Coking Coal imports were lower by 9.4% in Apr'17 in comparison with that in Mar'17, data sourced by CoalMint Research shows. The imports during the month also were down by 4.4% from that in Apr'16, the CoalMint data also shows.

During Apr'17, 3.22 MnT of Coking Coal was imported in that country, and the imports were lower than the imports in the previous month, at 3.56 MnT. The decrease in the imports during the month was due to the supply disruption caused by the occurrence of the Debbie cyclone in Australia. The cyclone had damaged the rail systems, transporting coal from mines to ports, disrupting the exports. Japan is dependent on Australia for sourcing the coal for its steel makers.

Source: CoalMint Research

In Apr'16, 3.37 MnT of the coal was imported in Japan, and that was higher than the imports in Apr'17.

The occasional Coking Coal supply disruptions in Australia put the steel makers in Japan in uncertain state. The disruptions trigger abrupt price rises apart from lowering supply availability. To counter the crisis, a major steel producer in Japan has recently deliberated upon changing its Coking Coal procurement strategy by lowering its dependence solely on Australia. The steel maker favored sourcing the coal from USA, Canada, Mozambique and Mongolia.