China's nickel ore imports shrink 18.4% in Jun

SHANGHAI, Jul 24 (SMM) – China's imports of nickel ore decreased by 18.4% from May and by 0.5% from June 2018 to stand at 4.17 million mt in June, according to the latest data from China Customs.

Lateritic nickel ore accounted for 4.12 million mt of June’s nickel ore imports, down 18.6% month on month and down 0.5% year on year.

In June, imports of sulphide ore stood at 49,000 mt, with some 39,000 mt imported by Jinchuan Group from countries including Australia, South Africa, and Mozambique. 

Imports of nickel ore from the Philippines slid 12% from May and 0.02% from a year earlier to stand at 2.97 million mt in June, while Indonesian materials declined 33.1% on the month to 1.05 million mt.