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Chinese traders end purchases of Australian coal and coking coal, while Chinese customs clearance has at least doubled to 40 days or more, according to four traders at major buyers.
Traders told Reuters on Monday that only shipments from Australia, the largest fuel supplier to the world's largest consumer, have been affected.
"We have stopped ordering coal from Australia because we do not know how long the restriction will last," said a manager of a Shanghai-based trading company, which typically buys about 400,000 tonnes of Australian coal each month.
Customs clearance usually takes five to 20 days. Now it can take up to 45 days, said the manager, asking not to be identified.
The reason why China has tightened controls on Australian imports is unclear, but the tension between Beijing and Canberra has increased in recent months due to cybersecurity problems and China's influence in China. Pacific Island Countries.
China's General Customs Administration did not respond to a request for comment.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by fax.
Authorities at some ports have verbally informed importers this month that Australian thermal coal and coking coal would take more time than usual to clear customs, said the Shanghai-based official.
A Beijing-based coal trader and a coking plant purchasing officer received similar notifications. None of the buyers were aware of the reason.
China has in the past reduced its coal imports in order to support national mines and reduce its consumption in order to fight against air pollution.
It has limited imports of Indonesian coal in 2017 due to its high content of impurities and low energy efficiency. The Beijing trader said the restrictions on Australian imports were "the first time for Beijing to limit coal imports from a specific country, but for no reason."
Reuters announced in January that dozens of ships carrying coal and iron ore were waiting to land outside the ports due to possible delays by the customs authorities.
The most active thermal coal futures on China's Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange reached 594 yuan ($ 123) a tonne on Monday, close to a record high of 595.6 yuan in three months, though contract was closed at 583.8 yuan per tonne. Newcastle's high-energy thermal benchmark price dropped to $ 88 a tonne, the lowest level in 19 months, Wood Mackenzie said.
The Shanghai trader said that he had stopped buying in Australia and that he would buy more from Indonesia and Russia.
The Beijing merchant said it would reduce Australian imports. A coal miner of the Minmetals Mining Group, backed by the state, said he had asked his customers to suspend Australian imports.
Refinitiv vessel tracking data showed that shipments of coal from the Australian port of Newcastle to China dropped by 30% last month compared to December, to 18.19 million tonnes. .
On Monday, deliveries planned for February were 12.78 million tonnes.
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