European coal imports from russia rise

摘要

Coal consuming countries in northwest Europe raised Rus- sian thermal coal imports by 4pc or 1.5mn t on the year to 43.73mn t last year, GTT data show. Receipts from Russia increased despite a drop of overall northwest European im- ports, as Russian coal replaced supplies from Colombia and South Africa, which fell sharply in 2018 (see table). Imports from Russia are likely to stay firm this year despite European countries switching to alternative fuels and limiting coal burn, market participants said. Russia accounted for 48pc of northwest Europe's coal imports last year, up from 43pc a year earlier, winning mar- ket share from Colombia and South Africa (see graphs). The US increased its share to 20pc last year from 17pc in 2017, becoming the second-largest supplier in the region.