JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16 – South African miners have significantly increased exports of thermal coal to Israel following Colombia’s decision in August to impose a total ban on coal shipments to the country, according to data from Kpler, LSEG and DBX Commodities.
Colombian coal exports to Israel fell to zero in the three months ended November after Bogotá tightened an earlier restriction and blocked deliveries under long-term supply contracts, data from Kpler showed. Over the same period, South Africa boosted coal exports to Israel by 87% year on year to 474,000 metric tons, and is expected to ship nearly 170,000 tons this month, the data showed.
Official figures from the South African Revenue Service indicate that coal exports to Israel rose 20% to 667,442 tons in the three months to October, marking the highest three-month level since February 2017.
Colombia and South Africa have both been outspoken critics of Israel. Colombia enacted the ban after accusing Israel of widespread civilian casualties in Gaza, while South Africa has brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which Israel has rejected.
“Four words explain this profound hypocrisy: talk left, walk right,” said Patrick Bond, director at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Change, who tracks South Africa’s coal exports to Israel.
Bond said more than a dozen South Africa-based coal exporters have been shipping power-generation coal to Israel since 2023. Kpler data shows that all coal cargoes imported by Israel since September originated from South Africa.
South Africa’s mines ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Trade Minister Parks Tau said last year that sanctions against Israel could expose South Africa to legal challenges under World Trade Organization rules. Colombia, which is also a WTO member, has not faced a formal challenge following its ban.
Kpler data shows South Africa’s coal exports to Israel are set to reach their highest level since 2017 in 2025, with the country’s share of Israel’s seaborne coal imports projected to rise to 55%, more than triple its share in 2024.
Despite the ban, Colombia is still expected to account for 42% of Israel’s projected 2 million tons of coal imports this year due to shipments earlier in the year. Russia, which supplied nearly a quarter of Israel’s coal imports in 2024, has delivered just one cargo of 55,000 tons this year, representing less than 3% of the market.
“I would expect the trend of Colombian exports to Israel to remain close to zero in the short to mid-term,” said Alexandre Claude, chief executive of London-based DBX Commodities, adding that Colombia would redirect supplies to other buyers.
Israel’s economy and energy ministries did not respond to requests for comment. A senior official at state-owned Israel Electric Co said the country plans to stop using coal as a major power source by 2027.
“The era of coal is finished in Israel. Natural gas will become the main source of energy, with coal retained only as a backup in emergencies,” the official said.
