Photo from UNIAN
The first vessel carrying 62 tonnes of steam coal, which last week sailed off from Baltimore, should arrive in Ukraine before mid-September, Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Valery Chaly told Dzerkalo Tyzhnia weekly.
"According to the terms of the contract, the delivery of 700,000 tonnes of anthracite steam coal from the U.S. is expected by the end of the year. The first shipment was planned to be at 85,000 tonnes. However, the suppliers managed to quickly find a slightly smaller vessel at 62,000 tonnes, and I was present along with the U.S. officials at the vessel’s loading. The vessel with the American coal, which last week left the port of Baltimore, will sail for about three weeks, therefore, somewhere near the middle of September, one can expect it to arrive at the port of Yuzhny,” Chaly told dt.ua.
Read alsoAnthracite stocks at Ukrainian TPPs shrink by 0.5% within week"It should be noted that this contract is important from the perspective of the development of Ukrainian-U.S. trade relations, and above all, it is yet another step toward diversification of supply of energy resources. Ukraine is getting access to a reliable and transparent source of coal from the United States," he said, adding that the next batch of coal should be at about 120,000 tonnes.
According to the ambassador, the second shipment should arrive in Ukraine early October, and further on, one or two vessels are expected to arrive on a monthly basis.
Read alsoEnergy Ministry says expensive U.S. coal not to raise electricity prices"As for coal supplies from the United States to Ukraine in general, including coking coal for the needs of the steel making sector, according to U.S. statistics, there have been regular supplies of it to Ukraine in recent years. In 2015 2.5 million tonnes was delivered and another 1.8 million tonnes in 2016. In the first half of 2017, the volume of such supplies increased by 42% (compared to the same period last year), amounting to 1.3 million tonnes," the diplomat said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, one of Ukraine’s biggest energy companies, Centrenergo, concluded a contract with U.S.-based XCoal Energy & Resources on the supply of 700,000 of deficient anthracite coal before the end of the year.