February 9, 2019 - Xcoal was the biggest shipper of US thermal and metallurgical coal in 2018 from ports on the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts serviced by shipping agent T. Parker Host, according to a recent report from the Norfolk, Virginia-based agency.

The agency's December 2018 report shows Latrobe, Pennsylvania-based coal marketer Xcoal shipped 14.3 million mt of coal in 2018, compared with 12.9 million mt in 2017.

The agency's next biggest customer was Bristol, Tennessee-based Contura Energy, which shipped 9.5 million mt in 2018 compared with 7.1 million mt in 2017.

Third was London-based Javelin Commodities, which shipped 6.7 million mt in 2018 compared with 7.2 million mt in 2017.

Other top shippers were Arch Coal, JERA Trading and Vitol.

For the month of December, the largest thermal coal shipper was Xcoal, at 514,894 mt; JERA, at 327,729 mt; and Uniper, at 160,000 mt.

In December, the largest met coal shipper was Contura, at 720,661 mt; Xcoal, at 605,847 mt; and Arch, at 454,130 mt.

By port, Baltimore shipped 6.9 million mt of met coal in 2018, down 6.2% from last year, and 12.1 million mt of thermal coal, up 1.6% from 2017.

Hampton Roads shipped 28.9 million mt of met coal in 2018, up 16% from last year, and 9.8 million mt of thermal coal, up 41.1% from 2017.

Mobile shipped 9.5 million mt of met coal in 2018, up 7.7% from last year, and 463,910 mt of thermal coal, up from zero tons in 2017.

Terminals in New Orleans shipped 32,473 mt of met coal in 2018, down 82% from last year, and 17.9 million mt of thermal coal, up 58.5% from 2017.

The report also showed Houston terminals shipped 713,426 mt of thermal coal in 2018, up from zero in 2017.