[SMM Chromium Flash] Global Chrome Ore Departures Fall 37.45% WoW to 448,500 mt, Dragged by Maputo

Global chrome ore departures from major export ports totaled 448,500 mt in the week ended August 14, down 37.45% week-on-week, according to SMM's latest data. The pullback follows an unusually strong prior week in which total departures reached 717,000 mt, suggesting the latest figure reflects a partial normalization after elevated shipments rather than a sudden shift in underlying demand.

Maputo remained the dominant corridor even as its volume eased to 333,200 mt from 496,200 mt, still accounting for roughly 74% of total departures. The decline coincided with unfavorable weather at the port, with freezing temperatures, heavy rains, and strong winds reported during the week, likely disrupting loading operations and contributing to the lower volume. Even so, Maputo's continued outsized share in a down week underscores Mozambique's growing structural weight in the seaborne chrome ore trade alongside, and increasingly rivaling, traditional South African export routes.

Richards Bay saw a sharper proportional decline, falling to 82,200 mt from 171,500 mt, a drop-off that outpaced the market-wide contraction. The decline was likely affected by unfavorable coastal conditions, including strong winds and rain, which can slow vessel loading and berth operations at the port. Mersin departures also eased, to 33,100 mt from 49,300 mt, in line with its role as a smaller secondary loading point rather than a primary export corridor. Beira again recorded no chrome ore departures, indicating the port remains inactive in the current shipping cycle.

Taken together, the week's data points to a weather-affected cooling in seaborne chrome ore flows from Southern Africa after a strong prior week, with Maputo's resilience relative to Richards Bay reinforcing the port's increasing centrality to regional export logistics.