European buyers are scouring the world as far as South Africa to procure coal as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the threat of more sanctions on Moscow have made Russian coal unsellable with many European utilities. Several carriers with coal have headed from South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal west around the Cape of Good Hope since last week, according to vessel-tracking data Bloomberg has compiled. Coal heading west from South Africa is not the typical export route for the large African coal producer and exporter, as it ships over 86 percent of its coal east to Asia. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, however, has changed trade routes for many commodities, including for coal. Traders and utilities have started to steer clear of Russian seaborne commodities, including crude oil, LNG, and coal, as many firms and traders are in a “self-sanctioning” mode not taking any risks with any cargoes […]