Spot iron ore vessel bookings to China in August by the world's two biggest exporters, Australia and Brazil, fell to a 9-month low, indicating strong demand from the world's top steel maker may be slowing as steel prices slump. Vessel bookings from Australia's main ports, the biggest iron ore seller to China, stood at 30 in August, little changed from 31 in July but down from an average of 40 in the second quarter, according to data specialist AXSMarine.
Ship fixtures from Brazil to China tumbled to 7 last month, the lowest since November last year, after jumping to a record 39 in July, when trade between China and Australia slowed. The slowdown follows China's detention of four Shanghai-based iron ore employees of Rio Tinto over spying allegations and suspension of iron ore spot sales by some Australian sellers.
Separate data showed on Tuesday that Brazil's iron ore exports, most of which goes to China, also dropped 8.4 percent to 23.3 million tonnes in August from their 2009 peak level in July, underscoring that China's iron ore buying spree may be losing some steam.
Despite China's robust steel production rate running at a record high, analysts and traders have expected iron ore demand from China - which consumes more than half the globally traded iron ore - to slow on ample domestic stockpiles after record imports earlier this year, and as China moves to rein in its massive steel overcapacity and credit lending.
Iron ore stockpiles in major Chinese ports rose 430,000 tonnes to 72.15 million tonnes last week, industry consultancy Mysteel said, after imports jumped 32 percent in July to another record 58 million tonnes in July. As China's crude steel output was also at record rates, the government said last month it would restrict lending, licences and land supply, among other measures, to restrain excessive construction in the steel sector.
China's crude steel output could hit a record in August as data from the China Iron and Steel Association showed daily production was running at an all-time peak of 1.67 million tonnes in the first 10 days of the month.
The figure equates to an annualised production rate of nearly 610 million tonnes, more than 20 percent above actual production of 500 million tonnes in 2008. Mounting concerns of tighter credit and sustainability of China's steel industry recovery, initially triggered by its nearly $600 billion economic stimulus plan, forced Chinese steel prices and iron ore prices to tumble in recent weeks.