South African coal producers are sharply increasing exports to Israel after Colombia, previously Israel’s top supplier, imposed a full ban on coal shipments in August, according to data from Kpler, LSEG and DBX Commodities which was reported by Reuters.
Colombian coal exports to Israel fell to zero in the three months ending November after Bogotá reinforced the ban and blocked supplies under long-term contracts.
Colombia and South Africa have both been vocal critics of Israel. Colombia’s ban followed accusations that Israel had killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, including children.
South Africa has accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice, a claim Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected.
As Colombian supplies stopped, South Africa boosted coal exports to Israel by 87% year-on-year to 474,000 metric tons in the three months to November and is expected to ship nearly 170,000 tons this month, the data showed.
Official figures from the South African Revenue Service showed that coal exports to Israel rose 20% to 667,442 tons in the three months to October, the highest level for any three-month period since February 2017.
“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 African coal exports to Israel.
Bond said more than a dozen South Africa-based exporters have been shipping electricity-grade coal to Israel since 2023, with Kpler data showing that all cargoes imported by Israel since September came from South Africa.
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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, also a WTO member, has not faced a challenge over its ban.
Kpler data showed South Africa has steadily increased shipments to Israel over the past four years and that its coal exports in 2025 will be the highest since 2017.
Its share of Israel’s seaborne coal market is expected to more than triple from 2024 levels to 55%. Colombia is still projected to account for 42% of Israel’s roughly 2 million tons of coal imports this year, while Russia, which supplied nearly a quarter of Israel’s coal in 2024, has shipped only one cargo of 55,000 tons this year, 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, CEO of London-based DBX Commodities, adding that Colombia would redirect more coal to other buyers because it already has a highly diversified export portfolio.
Israel’s economy and energy ministries did not respond to requests for comment. A senior official at the state-run Israel Electric Co said Israel plans to stop using coal as a major power source by 2027.
“The era of coal is finished in Israel. We will stop importing coal and use natural gas as a main source of energy and coal will be a backup in case of emergency,” the official said.
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Image Credit: Serrari Group
