* AP12 2015 futures up $0.24 to $83.25/tonne * Richards Bay terminal operations suspended until end of week LONDON - European coal prices rose on Tuesday as utilities used the financial coal market to hedge themselves against a physical supply outage in South Africa. The AP12 2015 futures contract was trading at $83.25 a tonne at 1600 GMT, up $0.24 from the previous settlement. Higher futures prices helped pull up the physical market. Cargoes for delivery in March to the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp (ARA) rose $0.30 to $80.25 a tonne from the previous settlement. “Utilities have been hedging against the Richards Bay suspension,” one coal trader said. South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal suspended all operations including its export coal train service due to a power failure on Jan 31, the company said in a joint statement with logistics group Transnet on Monday. The coal value chain is expected to be partially operational in the next couple of days and fully operational by the end of the week, the two firms added. Due to the outage in February, traders bought more Richards Bay coal for March delivery. The contract was trading $1.00 higher at $80.00 a tonne.