Australia’s iron ore exports post marginal growth in September, says ABS

By Carolina Curiel

CANBERRA (Scrap Monster): The most recent statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that preliminary iron ore exports by Australia recorded marginal growth during the month of September this year. The year-to-date exports too were higher when matched with the previous year.

As per ABS data, the country’s preliminary iron ore exports from various ports totaled 68.733 million tonnes (Mt) during the month, marginally higher by 1.1% when matched with the exports of 68.014 Mt during September 2015. The value of exports jumped higher by 8.5% year-on-year from $3.237 billion in September last year to $3.513 billion this year. The average export price surged higher by 7.4% to $51.10 per tonne. The exports had averaged at $47.6 per tonne during September last year. Among ports, Port Hedland exported 40.345 Mt, accounting for nearly 59% of the country’s total exports. The other major loading ports by volume are Port Walcott (14.156 Mt) and Dampier (10.188 Mt).

The non-agglomerated iron ore exports totaled 68.508 Mt in Sep ‘16, marginally higher by less than 1% when compared with the exports of 67.941 Mt during September last year. The value of non-agglomerated exports surged higher by 8.1% year-on-year from $3.233 billion to $3.494 billion during the month. The average price of export was up by 7.2% from $47.6 per tonne to $51.0 per tonne. The major ports that accounted for non-agglomerated iron ore export during the month were: Port Hedland (40.345 Mt), Port Walcott (14.156 Mt) and Dampier (10.118 Mt).

According to ABS data, the country shipped agglomerated iron ore only through Port Latta. The exports totaled 225,000 tonnes in Sep ‘16, significantly higher by over 200% when matched with 73,000 tonnes during the same month last year.

The cumulative iron ore exports by the country during the initial nine-month period of the year totaled 594.979 million tonnes, modestly higher by 4.6% when matched with the 568.714 million tonnes exported during January to September in 2015. However, the value of exports dropped by 4.1% from $28.788 billion to $27.609 billion. Over the period, export price dropped sharply to $46.4 per tonne. The exports by the country had averaged at $50.6 per tonne during the nine-month period in 2015. Port Hedland accounted for nearly 57% of the country’s exports during this period. The shipments from the port totaled 336.107 Mt. The other main loading ports were Port Walcott (126.774 Mt) and Dampier (94.690 Mt).

The non-agglomerated iron ore exports totaled 592.936 Mt in Jan-Sep ‘16, marginally higher by 4.6% when compared with the exports of 567.034 Mt during January to September last year. However, the value of non-agglomerated exports declined by 4.1% year-on-year from $28.666 billion to $27.479 billion during the nine-month period. The average price of export too has dropped by 8.3% from $50.6 per tonne to $46.3 per tonne. The key ports that accounted for bulk of the non-agglomerated iron ore export during this period were: Port Hedland (336.107 Mt), Port Walcott (126.774 Mt) and Dampier (94.690 Mt).

As per data, the country shipped agglomerated iron ore only through Port Latta and Whyalla. The exports totaled 2.043 Mt in Jan-Sep ‘16, significantly higher by nearly 22% when matched with the exports of 1.680 Mt during the same period last year.