After hitting a record level of 15,103 tonnes in December, the volume of tin metal checked prior to export by surveying companies working for the Indonesian trade ministry fell sharply to 5,380 tonnes in January. The January figure was down 27% on the same month of 2011. Indonesia shipped tin to 11 countries last month, with Singapore taking 3,560 tons, or 66% of the total, the ministry’s data showed.
“Extreme weather has really disrupted both offshore and on-land tin mining in Bangka,” Johan Murod, director at PT Bangka Belitung Timah Sejahtera, a group of six smelters, told Bloomberg. “Waves could reach as high as 5 metres, making it impossible for dredgers to operate, and on land the pits were flooded due to heavy rain.” Shipments also fell last month as producers had limited stockpiles after boosting sales in December, Murod said.
It should be noted that actual tonnages shipped may not match the surveyed volumes. It is possible that some tin checked for export in December was not actually shipped until early January, so the flow of tin may not have been as extreme as the numbers suggest. We estimate that exports in the next month or two will be at normal levels of 6,000 – 7,000 tpm, as monsoon weather has its usual seasonal effect.
