Top African Coal Port’s Snags Are No Match for European Demand

South Africa’s state-owned rail company Transnet last year delivered the smallest amount of coal in three decades from mines to the continent’s biggest export facility for the fuel at Richards Bay, but shipments to Europe surged.

The overall slump in deliveries was mainly caused by a labor strike and a train derailment, followed by violence that prolonged recovery efforts and interrupted service for weeks on the line connecting collieries in Mpumalanga province to Richards Bay Coal Terminal.