Indian coal buyers were avoiding shipping from the Richards Bay Coal Terminal, put off by much slower bunker fuelling and higher bunker prices, Indian traders said on Friday.

Indian coal buyers were avoiding shipping from the Richards Bay Coal Terminal, put off by much slower bunker fuelling and higher bunker prices, Indian traders said on Friday.

The Smit Bongani barge, which usually supplies bunker fuel to berthed vessels at the terminal, was being double-hulled in Durban for three months, said shipping sources.

During this period it is replaced by the Marine Excellence which has a much lower uplift capacity and pumping rate.

"There is scarce supply of bunker currently at the terminal and problems with the barges. This is one of the reasons why we are not keen to be lifting South African cargoes at present," one major Indian coal importer said.

"It's probably more of a hassle factor than a price factor at the moment. I'm not sure how far bunker prices have risen but the queue for bunkering is long, so using the smaller barge is causing delays," said a shipping source.

Indian imports of South African coal are likely to be close to 12million tonnes this year, up from 10million tonnes last year.

Imports are always slow during the June to September monsoon season but some importers are trying to ship South African coal to the Indian ports least-affected by the weather. - Reuters