Nickel ore inventories at Chinese ports fell on logistics recovery

SHANGHAI, Feb 14 (SMM) – Nickel ore inventories across all Chinese ports continued to decrease this week, falling 470,000 wmt from a week earlier to 13.7 million wmt as of Friday February 14, showed SMM data.

In metal content, the stocks fell 3,800 mt during the same period to 116,800 mt. SMM data also showed that nickel ore stocks across seven major Chinese ports shrank 480,000 wmt to 10.85 million wmt.

Nickel ore shipments from the Philippines remained sluggish due to rainy season of the country. Only a vessel of nickel ore from the Philippines was traded at a port in South China, and other cargo arrivals had been ordered by major mills. 

Operations at ports have basically returned to normal, and any impact on shipments is limited. A lack of transport vehicles continues to deter shipments in Inner Mongolia, but nickel ore deliveries to large-scale plants in other areas have normalised since they have their own carrier vehicles. Compared to nickel ore supply, a shortage of adjuvant remains an urgent problem for consumers.