Perth (Platts)--3Dec2012/446 am EST/946 GMT

Of the total coal exported from Port Waratah Coal Services' terminals at Newcastle port last month, 20% comprised coking coal -- around double from October's monthly volume -- as exporters stepped up their flow of higher-value coal cargoes through the Australian port, data released Monday showed.

PWCS, whose customers include Rio Tinto and Xstrata, shipped 1.6 million mt of coking coal through its two Newcastle coal terminals in November, and the rest of its throughput last month -- 6.1 million mt (79%) -- was thermal coal, said PWCS in its latest monthly coal exports report for November.

In October, thermal coal accounted for 88% of PWCS terminals' coal exports, and rest 12% was coking coal including semi-soft product, and this has been the pattern for most of the year.

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Thermal coal prices at Newcastle have only started to recover after a prolonged slump.

Prices for semi-soft coking coal are attracting prices of $110/mt FOB Australia, compared with $73/mt and $92/mt for Newcastle 5,500 kcal/kg NAR and 6,300 kcal/kg GAR coal respectively, according to Platts prices.

Coal shipments through PWCS dipped to a six-month low in November of 7.8 million mt, after a four-day closure of the Newcastle coal chain mid-month for routine maintenance interrupted the flow of coal shipments through the port, in eastern Australia.

PWCS' coal exports have fluctuated between 8.3 million mt/month and 9.9 million mt/month over the past six months since May. CHINA'S EXPORTS SHARE STEADY

China will receive 19.8%, or 1.5 million mt, of the 7.8 million mt coal exported from the PWCS terminals in November.

Another 1% of Newcastle's November exports will go to the Hong Kong special administrative region in China, equivalent to one Panamax cargo, bringing China's total share to almost 21%.

In October, China received 1.79 million mt of coal from PWCS facilities.

Japan's is to receive 48.2% or 3.7 million mt of coal exports from the terminals -- lower than its take of 4.4 million mt in the previous month, which accounted for 47.4% of that month's total.

South Korea, an active buyer on the spot market lately, took delivery of 16.4% of PWCS coal exports last month, about 1.27 million mt, down from 1.7 million mt received in October.

Taiwan, another significant buyer of Newcastle coal, booked 694,000 mt in at the port in November, or 8.9% of the total shipments -- lower than the 770,000 mt that Taiwan-destined ships loaded in October.

Mexico loaded 265,000 mt of coal exports at the Newcastle port in November, down slightly from the 400,000 mt of coal shipped to the central American country in October, according to PWCS data.

The 53 million mt/year capacity Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group terminal at Newcastle port, which is run jointly by BHP Billiton, Centennial Coal, Peabody Energy, Yancoal and Whitehaven, does not publish information on its coal exports.

--Mike Cooper, michael_cooper@platts.com --Edited by Haripriya Banerjee, haripriya_banerjee@platts.com

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