The seaborne thermal coal market is oversupplied by around 40mn t and a demand-supply imbalance could persist for much of this year as the Covid-19 pandemic dents economic activity.

Australia's coal industry is reviewing plans for expansion and sustaining capital expenditure as they attempt to conserve cash amid fears that coal prices will return to a long period of historical lows below those seen in 2015-16.

"More closures would be necessary, as demand shows little sign of recovery," said one US mining firm.

Overall Russian coal output fell in the first quarter of this year, but some coking coal mining firms raised output.

Gladstone, DBCT, Hay Point and Abbot Point operated at a combined utilisation rate of just 75pc in 2019 and the distribution was uneven.

Construction on a 8.4-kilometer-long coal-transmission pipeline was recently completed in Jincheng Economic and Technological Development Zone in Jincheng city, Shanxi province, enabling the conveyance of more than 1,000 metric tons of coal per hour.

Chinese authorities on Sunday demanded solid efforts to ensure workplace safety and resolutely curb major accidents.

China saw continuous environmental improvement last year, with reductions in airborne pollutants in major polluted cities and severely polluted surface water across the country, authorities said.