Thermal coal slides 9%, traffic yet to recover at major ports

Against stipulated 75% coal mandated in the Annual Contracted Quantity, the CPPs are getting 15-50% coal

Coal traffic shipments, especially thermal coal, are yet to pick up at major ports. The signs of recovery in coal volumes, which were supposed to begin from the second half of this financial year, are still not in sight.

Thermal or steam coal cargo shipped through major ports saw de-growth of nine per cent during April-November. In the same period, coking coal traffic moved up 2.27 per cent, reveals data by the Indian Ports Association.

The slide in thermal coal cargo was due to a lesser volume of imports. Imports of thermal coal have been on a downtrend in the