UPDATE 1-Indonesia Feb Tin Exports Hit by Wet Weather

JAKARTA, Mar. 15 -- Indonesia's February refined tin exports are estimated to have fallen 18 percent from a year ago as the monsoon hit offshore mining and due to declining onshore reserves, a trade ministry official said on Friday.

Indonesia, the world's biggest tin exporter, shipped 6,994.01 tonnes of refined tin in February, down from 8,534.23 tonnes in the same month a year ago, data showed on Friday.

"Exports fell because tin ore supply to smelters was tight. Onshore tin reserves have been depleted while miners are also scaling back offshore mining because of wet weather," Alberth Yusuf Tobogu, director for exports of mining products, said.

But February exports were 3.2 percent higher that exports in January.

Singapore remained the main destination for Indonesia's tin exports, accounting for 82.6 percent of the exports in February, while the remainder went to Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan, China, the United States, India, Turkey and Hong Kong.