Ships Ahoy! Coal ships queue off Newcastle
Coal ships queuing off the port of Newcastle reached a record high on 4 March, just weeks after Hunter coal companies voted to reinstate an export quota system. When The Daily Telegraph flew along the coast on 4 March, the ships resembled a battle fleet as they lined up from just outside the port, stretching towards the horizon. Most of the ships are from Taiwan, Korea, China and Japan, where the coal will be used for power stations and steel mills.
Ships anchored off the world’s largest coal port, Newcastle, Australia, must wait at least three weeks to load at the congested docks. The choke point is but one result of China’s growing demand for energy and raw materials. (Peter S. Goodman — The Washington Post)
Three weeks anchored offshore; Each ship will wait an average of three weeks anchored offshore before it is brought in to be loaded. There were 70 ships moored off the coast at midday, the Newcastle Port Corporation confirmed. The corporation, controls the movement of the ships in and out of the port, said the reason for the queue rested in the hands of Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS) which handles the coal for export worldwide. "It’s the most number of ships we’ve had," harbour master Tim Turner said on 4 March. "It was in the 60s for a while and it’s 70 now."
First in, first served basis: PWCS said it acknowledged the substantial vessel queuing and had made an urgent application to the ACCC for a reinstatement of the export quota. But it could take until April before the authorisation is granted. In the meantime, the line-up of ships is expected to grow past 70, a port spokesman said. Under the current system, coal companies jostle with one another for their share and ships are loaded on a first in, first served basis – which results in them arriving early to get the best position in the queue.
Quota system But if the quota system was reinstated, coal companies are allocated a set share of the almost 90 million tonnes of coal the port can handle each year.
