There's been some bad weather this year, with several major cyclones around the east coast of Australia and a serious shipwreck, but even given ideal circumstances Australia's capacity to keep up with demand, now that China's a net importer, is very limited.  It takes years to bring new rail lines, ports, facilities, and workers online, and so the issue of Australia's coal delivery infrastructure is an urgent one.

From Bloomberg:

Australian coal-mining companies may lose more than A$350 million ($301 million) this year because bottlenecks and storms are delaying ships outside Newcastle, the world's largest coal-export port.

Xstrata Plc, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, estimates miners in New South Wales's Hunter Valley are paying about A$1 million a day in penalties for idling ships, said spokesman James Rickards. Demurrage may reach A$460 million in 2007, Australia's competition regulator estimated in March.

Coal prices jumped to a record above $70 a metric ton in the week ended June 29 and freight rates are near all-time highs. Storms last month drove a ship ashore and disrupted Newcastle loadings for two weeks, worsening delays due to inadequate rail and terminal capacity. About 8 percent of the bulk shipping fleet is anchored off Brazil, China and Australia.

... The nation shipped coal worth A$20.4 billion in the year ended May, or 12.9 percent of the country's total exports, the single largest component, according to government statistics.

... Almost 10 percent of the world's Capesize vessels ... are tied up in Australian ports, Oslo-based Pareto Bassoe Shipbrokers Group said in May.

You've got to love Pareto's home page: "Welcome to P.F.Bassoe AS and the exciting world of tanker shipping!"  Now that's company spirit.

... Vessels were waiting more than 32 days on average to load coal, compared with 18 hours for general cargo, Newcastle Port Corp. said as of July 9.

Pray for the poor bulk tanker ship's captain that's got to entertain an idle crew for a month.

... Japan buys 60 percent of its coal from Australia and delays threaten the energy security of Asia's largest economy, said Atsuo Sagawa, a senior coal market researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.

... Port Waratah Coal Services Ltd., the operator of Newcastle's two coal terminals, is spending A$458 million to expand capacity to 102 million tons a year from 80 million ...