It has been almost two months since Scott Morrison bought 70,000 tonnes of coal from Whitehaven, promising to ship it to Ukraine to help out with the war effort. There has been no confirmation from the Prime Minister that it has arrived.
The coal was bought from Whitehaven Coal, worth at least $31m at the time, before the announcement on the 24th of March.
The Prime Minister’s Office has refused to respond to inquiries about whether the shipment of coal has arrived in Ukraine. The Department of Prime Minister in Cabinet could not answer when questions, instead directed the enquiry to the Department of Industry, which told MWM that “Transportation details remain confidential.”
Whitehaven Coal also has refused to comment on the arrival date, referencing the government’s transport partner Trafigura, which has refused to comment on individual shipment details.
The 70,000 tonnes of coal would be enough to fuel a medium-sized coal-fired generator for around 3-5 days.
Callum Foote was a reporter for Michael West Media for four years.