Some vessels bound for China have arrived at a major coal port in Australia, a sign that China's informal ban on Australian coal imports is easing.
Earlier this year, China allowed three state-owned power companies and a steelmaker to resume buying coal from Australia, leading the mining industry to expect a full lifting of the ban within weeks.
There are initial indications that China's informal ban on coal imports from Australia may be in the process of lifting, said Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure, which operates the world's largest metallurgical coal export facility in Queensland, in a statement on February 27.
The Dalrymple Bay port exported 53.3 million tonnes of coal in 2022, with three-quarters bound for Japan, South Korea, Europe and India.
However, the company told investors that vessels destined for China had been arriving at the port throughout February.
Several coal producers in New South Wales' Hunter Valley and Queensland confirmed that Chinese buyers had inquired about supplies of thermal and coking coal over the past two months.
Australian coal company New Hope said that inquiries from China had increased significantly in recent weeks, but the company had no spare coal to sell.
Queensland coking coal producer Coronado said last month that it had received inquiries from China and expected Chinese steelmakers to be able to buy coal from its Curragh mine this year.
(Writing by Alex Guo Editing by Tammy Yang)
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