Singapore, June 4th (Argus) - According to the data compiled by Argus, compared to April, the lithium ore shipments from Australia increased in May, mainly due to the enhanced shipments from Geraldton Port and Hurdland Port.
According to the latest data released by the shipping tracking company Kpler, Australian ports loaded nearly 417,000 tons of lithium ore in May, an increase of 12% compared to April. The vast majority of Australia's lithium spodumene was transported to China.
The export volume from Geraldton Port increased to 64,200 tons, a 188% increase from the previous month's 22,300 tons. The loading volume at Hurdland Port was approximately 130,100 tons, an increase of 45% compared to 89,600 tons in April.
Australian Mineral Resources (MinRes) transported lithium spodumene from the Wogina mine via Hurdland Port, and the Pilgungura project of lithium producer PLS is also located near the port. PLS is set to restart its Ngungaju processing plant and is expected to resume production in July.
Bunbury Port loaded nearly 169,300 tons of lithium concentrate in May, a decrease from approximately 199,800 tons in the previous month.
In May, the export volume from Esperance Port decreased slightly to 53,000 tons, compared to approximately 61,100 tons in the previous month. MinRes will transport lithium spodumene from its Marion Mountain mine (where Ganfeng holds a 50% stake) to the port for export. The restarted Bald Mountain mine of the company is also near the port and is expected to start concentrated lithium spodumene production in July.
Australian producer Core Lithium will utilize Darwin Port, as the lithium market shows an upward trend, and will also restart its Finniss mine this year.
Due to the increase in registered warehouse stocks at the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, the price of lithium carbonate has faced pressure recently, indicating an increase in raw material supply. However, market participants point out that the supply of lithium spodumene is still in a structurally tight state and will remain significantly short until September, as shipments from Zimbabwe have not arrived yet and Nigeria is in the rainy season.
