Transport ban in Tangshan grows iron ore port stocks on week

SHANGHAI, Mar 15 (SMM) – As of Friday March 15, iron ore stocks across 35 Chinese ports grew 560,000 mt from a week ago to 136.37 million mt, SMM statistics showed. Despite lower arrivals in Shandong and Tangshan, a transport ban across Jingtang and Caofeidian ports grew port stocks.   

Daily average deliveries from ports dropped 1,000 mt from the prior week to 2.42 million mt this week as a transport ban across Jingtang port and Caofeidian port, which started from March 7, lowered daily deliveries from the two ports by over 200,000 mt from normal levels. 

Deliveries from the two ports grew after the ban was lifted in the afternoon of March 12, with deliveries of nearly 500,000 mt at Jingtang port on Thursday March 14. But daily deliveries in Tangshan remained below normal levels. 

Output controls in Wuan, Hebei continued to lower daily deliveries from some ports in Shandong. Daily deliveries from ports along the Yangtze River grew significantly. 

Deliveries from ports are expected to grow next week after pollution alerts across Tangshan, Qinhuangdao and Jiangsu were lifted.