Thermal coal inventories at Qinghuangdao Port, Huanghua Port and Tangshan Port have exceeded a combined total of 16 million tons recently, a sharp increase compared with the same time last month, according to Hebei Port Group Co.
The three ports are the most important transportation hubs for China's north-to-south thermal coal supply, with a total annual coal throughput of more than 300 million tons, accounting for 69 percent of the country's total coal shipment.
Entering June, the ports saw a jump in their coal inventories, partly due to a slump in demand following a reduction in electricity consumption, say analysts.