Sulfur exports from Vancouver fell in August by 5pc from a year earlier following market softening during July, but September shipments are expected to rebound as market sentiment improves.
August sulfur exports fell to 304,675t in August, down from 320,178t in August last year, according to data from the Port of Vancouver, as buyers' resistance to elevated prices limited spot trade in the early third quarter.
China was the top destination for Vancouver sulfur in August at 133,907t, while 51,249t was exported to the US, likely to the port of Tampa, Florida.
More recently, supply squeezes have injected more urgency into the sulfur market. Buyers have begun to accept higher-priced cargoes as geopolitical conflicts and shifting trade policies increase risks.
Argus Vancouver fob spot prices reached $305-310/t on 2 October, up by $192.50/t on a midpoint basis from the same period in 2024. Prices globally have been supported this year by rising demand from metals producers as well as seasonal demand from fertilizer producers.
Despite the drop in August, Vancouver sulfur exports through the first eight months of the year were still ahead of the same period last year. Exports in January-August increased by more than 3pc on the year to about 2.35mn t, with elevated pricing providing healthy margins all the way up the value chain.
Argus estimates around 386,000t of sulfur were exported from Vancouver in September. This would bring exports in the first nine months of the 2025 to 2.73mn t, up by nearly 11pc, or 267,269t from the same period a year earlier.
Vancouver suppliers delivered 122,842t of sulfur to Brazil from January-August this year, up by nearly threefold from the same period in 2024. Brazilian importers have begun to avoid bidding on cargoes from the US as the government works to implement reciprocal tariffs on US goods, targeting shipments from the Middle East and Canada.
