Netherlands' Iron Ore Imports Declined 5%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): According to Eurostat data, the iron ore imports by Netherlands reported nominal decline during the initial eleven months of 2017. However, the imports edged higher during November 2017, in continuation of the strong import trend from the month before that.

The iron ore imports by Netherlands totaled 2.855 million tonnes (Mt) in November 2017, higher by 4.7% when compared with the imports during the corresponding month a year before. Netherlands had imported 2.725 Mt of iron ore in November 2016. It must be noted that the Oct ’17 iron ore imports by the country had recorded 3.3% year-on-year jump. The average import prices have surged higher significantly by 32% from $60.8 per tonne to $80 per tonne. The total value of imports too was up sharply by 38% over the previous year.

The primary ore supplier to Netherlands in November was Brazil. The imports from Brazil totaled 1.441 Mt, accounting for more than 50% of the total iron ore imports by Netherlands during the month. The imports averaged at $79.2 per tonne. The other key suppliers were Canada (450,027 tonnes), South Africa (374,632 tonnes), Sweden (314,334 tonnes), Norway (192,530 tonnes) and Argentina (80,441 tonnes).

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The combined imports during the first eleven months of the previous year have dropped by 4.5% from 28.900 million tonnes in 2016 to 27.594 Mt in 2017. Out of this, 22.256 Mt were non-agglomerated iron ore, whereas the balance 5.338 Mt was agglomerated ore. The average import prices have surged higher by 49% to $82.5 per tonne. Also, the value of imports jumped higher significantly by 42% during the eleven-month period.

The key exporter of iron ore to Netherlands during Jan-Nov ’17 was Brazil. The imports from that country totaled 15.765 Mt at an average price of $79.9 per tonne. The value of imports from Brazil amounted to $1.26 billion. The other main sources of import were Canada (3.359 million tonnes), South Africa (2.800 Mt) and Sweden (2.211 Mt).