Freight rates for shipping coal from northern China’s Qinhuangdao port to the other Chinese ports of Zhangjiagang, Shanghai and Guangzhou in eastern and southern China ended mixed in the week to July 19, port operator Qinhuangdao Port said Tuesday.The freight rate from Qinhuangdao to Zhangjiagang in eastern China’s Jiangsu province for 20,000-30,000 mt capacity vessels edged higher by Yuan 0.10/mt week on week to Yuan 32.50/mt ($4.86/mt) on July 19, Qinhuangdao Port said.

The rate from Qinhuangdao to Guangzhou in southern China for 50,000-60,000 mt capacity vessels inched up by Yuan 0.10/mt to Yuan 33.90/mt on July 19. The rate from Qinhuangdao to Shanghai in eastern China for vessels with a capacity of 40,000-50,000 mt, however, slipped by Yuan 0.60/mt over the week to Yuan 30.50/mt.

China’s ongoing peak summer demand season for electricity and coal may continue to help sustain the coastal freight market, the port operator said.

Meanwhile, coal stocks at Qinhuangdao port stood at 2.97 million mt on July 19, up from 2.82 million mt a week ago, port figures show.