The line of ships waiting to be loaded with coal at the port of Dalrymple, Queensland, Australia, is growing as the waiting time stretches to more than three weeks.
According to reports in The Australian newspaper, there are currently 64 ships in the queue for Dalrymple coal, and a further 20 or so in the vicinity to be filled nearby at Hay Point.
The demand for Australian coal in China has seen massively increased activity in Australian exports, and when this is coupled with demand in the Indian, Japanese and European markets the infrastructure is unable to keep up with demand.
The Australian has reported that the average waiting time for ships was around 24 days and that total wait times as a result of booming exports cost coal companies over half a billion dollars per year.