Xstrata declares force majeure at Australia's Ulan coal mine

Tuesday 15 February 2011

PERTH, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Global (news) miner Xstrata (XTAF.EX - news) has declared force majeure at its Ulan thermal coal mine in Australia's New South Wales state due to heavy rains, the company said on Tuesday.

"We have declared FM on certain customer vessels for the Ulan operation, following the interruption to production as a result of significant water underground following recent heavy rains," spokesman James Rickards said in an email.

The company is currently pumping the water out from the underground area, but said it is currently does not have an estimate to speculate at this time as to when production will resume.

(Reporting by Rebekah Kebede; editing by Balazs Koranyi,sourced:Reuters)

Tags:Perth, Xstrata, declared, force majeure, Ulan thermal coal mine, Australia, South Wales state, heavy rains, coal vessel,

Indonesia Blocks 3.5 Million Tons of Coal Shipments

February 1, 2011,
Bloomberg, By Bambang Djanuarto and Yoga Rusmana

Indonesia’s government has blocked shipments of at least 3.5 million metric tons of coal since Jan. 15, after a delay in issuing new trading permits, an industry group said.
About 70 vessels, each with a capacity of 50,000 tons, are stuck at ports because surveyors checking shipments won’t allow the exports before traders obtain fresh licenses from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said Bob Kamandanu, chairman of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association.
“Some traders have declared force majeure because of the permit issue,” Kamandanu told reporters in Jakarta today, without identifying them. “More shipments will be halted as a lot more ships are entering the ports.”

Indonesia’s mining law of 2009 requires traders to convert old permits into new trading licenses issued by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry before they ship products overseas, said Djunaedi, head of mining exports at the Trade Ministry said Jan. 26. The ministry halted the process of giving out new licenses while waiting for the ministerial decree to be issued, Djunaedi, who uses one name, said at the time.
Alberth Yusuf Tobogu, export director of mining and industry products at the Trade Ministry, and Djunaedi didn’t answer two calls to their mobile phones seeking comment.
Force majeure is a legal clause that allows producers to miss deliveries because of circumstances beyond their control.
Indonesia, the world’s largest thermal coal exporter, has since 2008 required all exports of coal, metal ores and concentrate to be verified by government-appointed surveyors to prevent illegal shipments of commodities.

Some Indonesia coal traders declare force majeure on rule change-assoc

JAKARTA Feb 1,2011
(Reuters) Some Indonesian coal traders have declared force majeure after a trade rule change, with around 60-70 vessels stuck in various ports and 3.5 million tonnes unable to be shipped, the chairman of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association said on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear which trading companies and which buyers were affected, Bob Kamandanu told reporters, after a new trade regulation caused the delays in the world's top thermal coal exporter.
The problems have come after the trade ministry ordered surveyors in January to temporarily halt issuing surveyor reports to traders who are in the process of reapplying for trading permits under a new coal and mining law system. The surveyor reports are documents required for shipping the fuel.
The rule appeared to affect traders who do not own mines and buy blended coal, or aggregate coal, from various small miners, as well as traders who buy coal in barges. It was not clear which firms had declared force majeure.

"The vessels have been stuck in various coal ports around the country. Stockpiles have been building up because the coal can't be loaded to vessels," Bob Kamandanu said.
Most of the vessels were shipping the coal to buyers in India and China, he said.
Indonesia has required exports of mining products including coal and tin to be checked by surveyors before shipping them out as the country seeks to keep illegal mining in check and boost revenue from the sector.

"They have submitted requests for processing permits to the energy and mines ministry since three months ago but with no response," Kamandanu told reporters.
Surveyor reports show the origin of the cargoes and are used to calculate royalties.
The trade rule so far has not affected shipments from coal firms such as top producers Bumi Resources and Adaro Energy , as surveyors are still allowed to issue reports for coal exports from producers.
But it could affect the country's production if the delays run for a longer period, said Kamandanu.
The delays come as Indian traders and end-users are close to resuming prompt buying on thermal coal after a break of several months, some of India's largest traders said last week.
Australia's thermal coal prices on the globalCOAL weekly index, a benchmark for Asia, closed at $127 per tonne for the week to date on Monday, up from $124.25 a week earlier.(Reporting by Alfian; Writing by by Fitri Wulandari; Editing by Neil Chatterjee, sourced: reuters)