There is plenty of capacity at all four ports to raise throughput and cut shipping queues, weather permitting.

But weaker Japanese demand weighed on overall Australian hard coking coal exports.

A prolonged slump in nickel prices is stress-testing producers worldwide, raising the prospect of sweeping mine closures that will deepen Indonesia’s dominance of global supply.

SLN, the New Caledonia nickel producer controlled by mining group Eramet, said on Monday it was running at reduced capacity after an electrical incident over the weekend caused a local power cut.

The miner on Monday posted a near 50% drop in second-quarter metallurgical coal output as it completed major work at an underground mine at its Illawarra operation, while its quarterly manganese production also missed estimates.

Wyloo Metals Pty Ltd., the private nickel producer owned by billionaire Andrew Forrest, is shutting down its Western Australian mines due to a sharp slump in prices for the key transition metal.

In a significant move towards environmental sustainability, Baosteel and ExxonMobil have formalized their commitment to collaborate on low-carbon solutions.

In a landmark agreement, ArcelorMittal France, a subsidiary of the world's leading steelmaker ArcelorMittal, has joined forces with French state-owned energy supplier EDF Energy.