HC Deb 17 December 1991 vol 201 c97W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list, by year for the last four years and for the current year to date, the tonnages of coal imported into the United Kingdom, showing in his answer(a) the port the coal was unloaded at and (b) the country of origin of the coal.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

Breakdowns of coal imports by port of entry, and by country of origin, for the periods requested, are as follows:

Thousand tonnes
1987 1988 1989 1990 19913
Port of entry
Immingham 669 999 1,268 2,182 2,482
London (including Tilbury) 538 743 782 2,104 2,395
Middlesbrough 2,501 2,570 2,812 2,385 2,328
Port Talbot 1,958 1,997 2,610 2,885 2,259
Medway 556 565 652 855 1,930
Greenock 1,216 1,164 1,162 1,027 1,081
Liverpool 65 31 286 948 1,080
Cardiff 222 294 229 410 435
Swansea 92 134 162 377
Hull 19 1 44 152 364
Belfast 172 192 182 332 326
Others 1,865 3,036 1,975 1,340 1,284
Total 9,781 11,685 12,137 14,783 16,341
Country of origin
United States of America1 2,890 4,073 4,874 6,176 6,817
Australia1 3,459 3,416 2,676 3,044 3,924
Colombia1 319 574 874 1,506 2,059
USSR 89 375 181 592 730
Canada 362 553 729 986 592
South Africa 188 276 346 356 526
Poland 1,083 1,270 1,055 1,043 431
China 146 319 450 69 289
Belgium 192 122 78 60 219
Germany2 261 191 288 250 188
Venezuela 92 86 169 159
Others1 790 424 501 532 407
Total 9,781 11,685 12,137 14,783 16,341
1 Some imports previously recorded by Customs and Excise as originating in the Netherlands have been re-allocated to the other countries indicated or, where revised country of origin data is not available, included in the residual entry, "Others". This re-allocution has been carried out for 1991 and estimates of such imports previously classified to the Netherlands have been included for 1990. Figures for earlier years have not been re-allocated to individual countries.
2 Includes imports previously recorded separately for the German Democratic Republic.
3 January to October.

Source: HM Customs and Excise.