ARA coking coal stockpiles slip

Coking coal inventories at the four major Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) terminals have edged down in the past week, but iron ore stocks have crept up.

Total coal stocks at Rotterdam's EMO are at 3.3mn t, down from 3.4mn t a week ago. Port authorities indicate that around 15pc of total EMO stocks is typically coking coal, equating to 495,000t this week.

Inventories at OBA are at 1.59mn t, just slightly down from 1.6mn t a week ago - all of which is thermal coal. EBS is holding around 16,000t of coking coal and 90,000t of thermal — down from 19,000t of coking coal and 105,000t of thermal a week ago.

Total coal stocks at Ovet are at 510,000t, down from 480,000t a week ago. Port authorities indicate that coking coal comprises around 70pc of Ovet's coal stocks, equating to 357,000t at present.

But iron ore inventories at EMO have crept up to 1.7mn t from 1.5mn t a week ago. Vessel tracking data indicate a total of six iron ore fixtures so far for September shipment to EMO, originating from Canada, South Africa and Lithuania, totalling 556,807t.

A western European buyer was seen fixing a 75,000t vessel of iron ore concentrate this week, for shipment from Mauritania to Rotterdam.