Gladstone coal delivery restart delayed further

Australian haulage firm Aurizon has further delayed the restart of coal deliveries through the Blackwater line of the Central Queensland Coal Network (CQCN) to the 102mn t/yr port of Gladstone.

Aurizon now expects to restart coal railing on the line by 12 February, from 9 February earlier, leaving coal mines on the Blackwater system unable to deliver coal to Gladstone for up to 14 days.

Deliveries were halted after a collision between a freight train and a coal train operated by Aurizon occurred at 7:15pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (08:15 GMT) on 29 January, bringing down overhead power lines.

The restart date is still subject to weather conditions, with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a dry week ahead following some showers on 6 February.

The smaller Moura rail line is still operating and delivering coal to Gladstone. Moura delivered 12.9mn t of coal to Gladstone in 2021, while Blackwater delivered 50.5mn t.

The ship queue outside Gladstone rose to 30 on 6 February from 23 on 2 February. It usually averages around 22.

Argus assessed high-grade 6,000 kcal/kg NAR thermal coal at $249.79/t fob Newcastle on 3 February, down from $402.02/t on 6 January and from a peak of $444.59/t on 9 September. It assessed the premium hard low-volatile metallurgical coal price at $350.25/t fob Australia on 3 February, up from $314.75/t on 6 January and from $244.75/t on 24 November.

By Jo Clarke

Australian coal price comparisons $/t