China’s coal imports fell 31.3% year on year (y/y) to 139 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2015, according to Chinese customs statistics.
In August alone, coal imports dropped 7% y/y to 17.5 million tonnes, down 18% compared with July.
The average import prices also fell 21% y/y to CNY382.40 (USD60.00) per tonne.
Related news:Chinese ports’ growth ebbs in 1H15
More than 90% of the country’s coal imports are seaborne, according to China National Coal Association.
The association estimated that China’s overall coal imports for 2015 would amount to around 200 million tonnes, as the y/y fall in coal imports would shrink in the upcoming months of 2015.
In 2014, coal imports dropped 10.9% y/y to about 290 million tonnes due to competition from cheaper domestic coal and government restrictions on coal imports.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.