The vessel queue at the port fell to four ships from seven, and the average waiting time for vessels was slightly higher at around seven and a half days.

Twenty-three ships were travelling to the port to load coal, down from 25 last week, the port said.

In a separate report, the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator (HVCCC), which helps coordinate coal exports, put the number of vessels in the queue at the port at 33 by midnight on Monday.

The HVCCC calculates the number of ships in the vessel queue using a wider radius from the port than the Newcastle Port Corporation.