25/07/08
Australia's Gladstone port coal exports drop in FY25
Sydney, 8 July (Argus) — Coal shipments out of Australia's Gladstone Port —
which mainly supports coking coal mines in the northeastern state of Queensland
— fell by 2.5pc on the year to 64mn t for the July 2024-June 2025 financial
year. The decline was due to a mix of domestic operational and weather
challenges, and subdued global steel production. Coal producers in the region
faced multiple mine, rail, and port disruptions over 2024-25, beginning less
than a month into the financial year. Rail operator Aurizon — which manages the
lines linking Queensland's mines to Gladstone Port — closed its 100mn t/yr
Blackwater and 30mn t/yr Moura lines for two weeks over July-August 2024.
Gladstone Port faced its own challenges later in the year. The LNG and coal hub
handled [multiple work stoppages in December](
https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2640101), during tense
labour negotiations between the port's management and five worker unions. Coal
and LNG exports from Gladstone fell by 9.3pc and 2pc, respectively, that month .
Challenges around the port continued into 2025. Global natural resources company
Glencore's Oaky Creek mine along Aurizon's Blackwater line has been shut since
late-April 2025 due to a water leak from a storage facility. Another mine,
US-Australian producer Coronado's Curragh mine, faced cash availability
challenges for much of the year. Australian producer Whitehaven Coal, which
ships coal out of a number of Queensland ports, including Gladstone, also
reported reduced coal sales in January-March because of wet weather. Coal
financing issues in Queensland — and the rest of Australia — will likely persist
in 2025-26. Australian producer Bowen Coking Coal, which produces both thermal
and coking coal at its flagship Burton mine complex, said on 3 July that it may
soon need to halt or reduce production at the site, if it is unable to raise
capital. The company was suspended from the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) a
few days later and remains suspended. Chinese purchases of Gladstone coal also
fell in the 2024-25 financial year as the country's crude steel output waned.
China-based steelmakers cut production by 1.7pc on the year in January-May 2025,
data from China's National Bureau of Statistic show. Accordingly, China's coal
buying from Gladstone also fell 5.2pc on the year, port data showed. Demand for
Gladstone coal was largely supported by Vietnamese and Taiwanese buying in
2024-25 (see table) — a trend which is expected to continue over the coming
years. Vietnam-based steelmakers bought 4mn t of Gladstone coal over the fiscal
year, up from 2.7mn t in 2023-24. The country's coal imports — which include
both thermal and coking coal — rose to a 23-month high in May, Vietnamese
customs data show. Vietnamese demand for Australian coking coal is expected to
remain elevated in 2025-26, pushing up Queensland coal exports , the state
government said in June. The state also expects buying from India to rise though
coal shipments to the south Asian country fell by 11pc on the year for the
2024-25 financial year to 11.8mn t. By Avinash Govind Gladstone coal exports
(July-June financial years) t 2024-25 2023-24 Change (%) Vietnam 4,012,532
2,706,506 48 Taiwan 3,939,110 2,956,583 33 Japan 18,063,450 18,464,123 -2.2
India 11,784,331 13,167,414 -11 China 10,201,030 10,759,961 -5.2 Total
64,291,396 65,961,612 -2.5 * Total includes other countries Source: Gladstone
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