Business Recorder
China imports of bauxite, nickel ores seen up in April
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
China's March data for bauxite and nickel ore confirmed Chinese importers rushed to buy the two materials ahead of a possible export ban in key supplier Indonesia and imports in April may be even bigger.
China is the world's leading consumer and producer of nickel and aluminium. Bauxite is used to produce alumina, the main material for primary aluminium production.
"Imports in April would be a lot higher than March," said a trade manager at a nickel producer, which scheduled 8 shipments of laterite ores from Indonesia in April, doubling from March.
The trade manager said 26 ships carrying nickel ores were scheduled to arrive China's northeastern port of Tianjin between late April and early May and that number of ships arriving in the short period was high, boosting port stocks in China.
Some 13 million tonnes of laterite ores were estimated at warehouses at Chinese ports this week, traders said.
They said, however, Chinese nickel ore importers were looking for more suppliers in the Philippines and New Caledonia and that existing Philippine suppliers were considering raising export prices from May.
In March, Indonesian nickel ores were sold to China at an average price $88.45 a tonne, compared to $56.84 for Philippine ores and $130.52 for New Caledonian ores, according to the customs data.
Imports of nickel ores and concentrates increased 8.8 percent from a month ago to 3.67 million tonnes in March and the bulk was low-grade laterite ores. The March figure was a rise of 76.3 percent from a year ago.
China's imports of bauxite rose 12.9 percent from a month ago to 5.27 million tonnes in March. The March inflows surged 49.7 percent from a year ago.
A purchasing manager at an alumina refinery said his firm would increase imports of bauxite from Indonesia by 10 percent in April from March.
"We have prepared for a supply cut from Indonesia. Our bauxite stocks will be enough for our alumina production in the next six months," he said, adding that the firm was looking for new supply from Guyana.
Indonesia, supplying about 80 percent of China's imports of bauxite and nickel ore, plans to ban some mines from exporting unprocessed minerals after May 6 this year, part of a wider ban for more unprocessed metals in 2014, although details are not yet clear.
China is the world's leading consumer and producer of nickel and aluminium. Bauxite is used to produce alumina, the main material for primary aluminium production.
"Imports in April would be a lot higher than March," said a trade manager at a nickel producer, which scheduled 8 shipments of laterite ores from Indonesia in April, doubling from March.
The trade manager said 26 ships carrying nickel ores were scheduled to arrive China's northeastern port of Tianjin between late April and early May and that number of ships arriving in the short period was high, boosting port stocks in China.
Some 13 million tonnes of laterite ores were estimated at warehouses at Chinese ports this week, traders said.
They said, however, Chinese nickel ore importers were looking for more suppliers in the Philippines and New Caledonia and that existing Philippine suppliers were considering raising export prices from May.
In March, Indonesian nickel ores were sold to China at an average price $88.45 a tonne, compared to $56.84 for Philippine ores and $130.52 for New Caledonian ores, according to the customs data.
Imports of nickel ores and concentrates increased 8.8 percent from a month ago to 3.67 million tonnes in March and the bulk was low-grade laterite ores. The March figure was a rise of 76.3 percent from a year ago.
China's imports of bauxite rose 12.9 percent from a month ago to 5.27 million tonnes in March. The March inflows surged 49.7 percent from a year ago.
A purchasing manager at an alumina refinery said his firm would increase imports of bauxite from Indonesia by 10 percent in April from March.
"We have prepared for a supply cut from Indonesia. Our bauxite stocks will be enough for our alumina production in the next six months," he said, adding that the firm was looking for new supply from Guyana.
Indonesia, supplying about 80 percent of China's imports of bauxite and nickel ore, plans to ban some mines from exporting unprocessed minerals after May 6 this year, part of a wider ban for more unprocessed metals in 2014, although details are not yet clear.
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