Russia consolidated its position as Morocco’s main coal supplier during the first 11 months of 2020, business-specialized Argus Media reported on Monday, January 25.
Between January and November 2020, Morocco decreased its coal imports from all of its traditional suppliers, except for Russia, which saw its exports to Morocco increased.
Morocco imported a total of 9.2 million tonnes of coal in the first 11 months of 2020, approximately the same amount recorded in the previous year.
However, imports from Russia witnessed an increase from 57% of the total imports to 87%.
The increased market share of Russian coal pushed Morocco’s other coal suppliers, notably the US, into the red.
The US’ coal exports to Morocco decreased by more than two-thirds between November 2019 and November 2020, standing at only 816,000 tonnes. The decline cut the American market share from 31% to only 9%.
South African coal exports to Morocco also witnessed a sharp decline. Morocco imported only 61,000 tonnes of coal from South Africa — just over a tenth of the amount recorded in the first 11 months of 2019. This has pushed South Africa’s market share from 6% to only 1%.
Russia has been consolidating its position as Morocco’s major coal suppliers since 2015. Russian coal exports to the North African country gradually grew every year, overtaking the US as Morocco’s main supplier in the process.
Argus Media argues that the lower price of Russian coal compared to its American counterpart could be one of the reasons why it has gained popularity in Morocco.
