South Africa’s state-owned logistics company, Transnet, is on track to transport 55.5 million tonnes of coal from mines to the Richards Bay export terminal this year — a projected increase of about 7% compared to 2024, according to a statement released Thursday (26th).
The update came from Thungela Resources, a South African producer and exporter of thermal coal, which noted that Transnet had boosted coal deliveries on the country’s main export rail line after resolving operational and security-related issues.
“The improved performance is mainly due to fewer security-related problems and greater availability and reliability of locomotives, largely thanks to the addition of more trains on the coal line of the Northern Corridor,” the statement read. Thungela operates six mining sites in Mpumalanga province, eastern South Africa.
Shipments from Richards Bay, Africa’s largest coal export terminal, rose in 2024 for the first time in seven years. Transnet now expects its coal exports to grow 3.2% to 6.4 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
However, “coal prices have weakened, with the Richards Bay benchmark averaging $91.74 per tonne year-to-date, compared to $105.30 in the previous financial year,” the note adds.
Source: Bloomberg
