Richards Bay Coal Terminal exports jump above 10% as Transnet's turnaround pays off

Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) exported 57.66 million tonnes of coal in 2025, more than 10% up on the roughly 52.4 million tonnes shipped in 2024, in the clearest sign yet that Transnet Freight Rail's multi-year turnaround plan on the coal line is starting to show results. Chief executive Alan Waller said more than 60 million tonnes was "on the cards" for 2026, with the terminal already running at an annualised pace of around 62 million tonnes in January, and a consistent 65-million-tonne rate achievable by the end of the year.

The improvement follows sustained investment in new locomotives and a crackdown on cable theft, long one of the biggest drags on coal-line reliability. Transnet has been replacing older Chinese-built locomotives with more efficient French-designed 23E units, while cable theft on the coal corridor fell from around 180 kilometres of stolen cable in 2024 to 59 kilometres in 2025, thanks to expanded use of drones, foot patrols and K9 security units along the line.

Still well below the historical peak

Even at a 65-million-tonne run rate, RBCT would remain well short of its 2017 peak of 76.47 million tonnes, underlining how far the coal export corridor still has to recover from the operational collapse that took volumes down to a low of 47.2 million tonnes in 2023. Asia dominates the terminal's customer base, taking almost 80% of 2025 exports, with India the single largest buyer; Europe took about 7.2%, and African destinations — led by Morocco — took a similar share.

What it means for coal producers

For the consortium of South African coal exporters that own RBCT, the recovery validates years of lobbying for Transnet to fix locomotive availability and security on the coal line rather than simply blaming weak export demand for poor throughput. With Transnet itself targeting 65 million tonnes of coal exports for the 2026-27 financial year as part of its broader freight recovery plan, RBCT's performance through 2026 will be an early indicator of whether that target — and the underlying rail reliability needed to hit it — can be sustained rather than being a one-off rebound.

Sources

• Daily Maverick: Richards Bay Coal Terminal exports rise over 10% in 2025 in latest sign of Transnet reboot, 27 Jan 2026
• Miningmx: SA coal exports could rise 10% in 2026, says terminal, 27 Jan 2026

Photo: Richards Bay Coal Terminal, South Africa's main coal export facility. Ossewa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.