The number of coking coal trucks from Mongolia to China has also risen, improving the supply outlook, Guangzhou-based investment consultancy Founder CIFCO Futures said. In October, the number of trucks hauling coal from Mongolia into China averaged 400 a day, double from September volumes.

Mongolia has emerged as one of the key coal suppliers to China in the absence of Australian coal, with almost no coal trade seen between the two countries since the end of 2020.

Mongolia’s government is also planning to clear its 8.94 million coking coal stocks before end-February 2022, and forecast Mongolian coal trucks to China to rise further in the near term.

The pandemic has disrupted Mongolian coal traffic to China in 2021, with recurring cases delaying customs clearances. China imported 10.5789 million coking coal from Mongolia in January-September, down 64% on the year, China’s customs data showed.

Last year, coal trade flows from Mongolia to China reached a historical high after about 2,200 trucks hauled coal daily in August 2020, Platts reported earlier.