Kazakh coal transshipment via Russian ports rises 26% in Jan-Jul 2026

Kazakh coal transshipment through Russian ports increased strongly in Jan-Jul 2026, supported by rail agreements and sanctions exemptions for transit flows.

Transshipment of Kazakh coal through Russian Baltic and Southern ports in January-July 2026 increased to 7.9 mio t (+1.6 mio t or +26.0% y-o-y).

The growth stems from agreements reached between Russian Railways (RZD) and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) in April 2025 to increase coal supplies to Russian ports. A crucial role was played by the EU’s decision in July 2025 to exempt transactions with certain Russian ports from sanctions for the purpose of transiting Kazakh coal.

In Jan-Jul 2026, transshipment of Russian coal via these two routes dropped to 35.4 mio t (-1.0% y-o-y).

Combined handling of Russian and Kazakh coal in Jan-Jul 2026 at the northwestern and southern terminals of Russia totaled 43.3 mio t (+1.3 mio t or +3.0% y-o-y).

However, in August, shipments of Russian and Kazakh coal via Black Sea ports virtually ground to a halt, as foreign shipowners refused to call at Azov-Black Sea basin ports, following Ukrainian drone strikes on civilian merchant vessels.

Should the current dynamics persist — with attacks ongoing and ports in the Azov-Black Sea basin effectively idle — the global market could lose 10–12 mio t of coal in H2 2026, and twice that amount in 2027, unless the situation in the region is resolved.

Source: CCA