GLG News by Metallurgical Coal Experts

Several studies has noted the strong correlation between the Baltic Dry Index and world economic health.  Since much of the cargo carried on dry bulk ships is the precursors to manufacturing, the strong relationship makes sense.  For many reasons, the current BDI no longer follows this historical...

    If low water levels used for cooling caused nuclear plants to operate less or back-off entirely at certain locations, this would be bullish for coal-fired (and natural gas-fired generation) and mitigate or cancel the concerns of an economic slowdown on coal-fired electricity...

The reaction of Chinese shipbuilders to the weakened dollar may delay the emergence of the country as the world's largest shipbuilder.

Tradewinds reports that Sale-and-Purchase brokers are indicating that the 2007 bubble in conversions sales has waned and that some deals are falling apart as buyers are bailing out.

A report in Tradewinds indicates that South Korean refineries, bowing to internal pressure, plan to reduce the percentage of single-hulled tankers chartered in this year from 52% to 42%.  GS Caltex, South Korea's second largest oil refiner, reportedly plans to bar single-hulled vessels beginning...

    Discussion has been made that a U.S. recession will cause a decline in coal consumption by the electric power sector.  This is unlikely based on coal’s relative cost to generate electricity and the historical coal consumption by the electric power sector in previous economic...

    Coal generators have been taking efforts to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants.  Regulated utilities are required to treat the reduced SO2 emissions differently than unregulated utilities, merchant generators, and independent power producers...

    The Pacific Northwest has a tremendous amount of installed hydroelectric capacity.  The first and second quarter earnings of the investor owned utilities in the Pacific Northwest very greatly with hydroelectric conditions.  Preliminary reports are robust for the snowpack...

The long-awaited verdict by a French judge in the 1999 sinking of the tanker Erika is in.  As expected, the charterer of the vessel, Total, was found to share criminal responsibility for the spill.  This is sobering news for charterers worldwide.

The title of the article notwithstanding, the token action by the South Korean government means very little.  They will continue to be the world's largest charterer of single-hulled tonnage and if the supply of double-hulled tankers proves insufficient, Korea will ignore the 2010 ban.