By Andrew Moore

July 28, 2021 - US coal exports from the Hampton Roads region of Virginia totaled 2.6 million st in June, up 2.2% from May and up 66% from June 2020, according to data released July 27 by the Virginia Maritime Association.

US coal continued to find markets as prices for global thermal coal and metallurgical coal continued to push multiyear highs due to increased energy and commodity demand.

Norfolk Southern's Lamberts Point terminal shipped 837,462 st in June, down 16.1% from May but up 19% from the year-ago month. For the year, exports from the terminal totaled 5 million st, down 19% from the same period in 2020.

Pier IX, owned and operated by Kinder Morgan, shipped 730,466 st in June, up 175.6% from May and up 876% from 2020. For the year, exports from the terminal totaled 2.6 million st, up 28.7% from the year-ago period.

Exports from the DTA terminal in Newport News totaled 1 million st in June, down 20% from May but up 30.3% on year. Year-to-date exports from the terminal totaled 6.4 million st, up 7% from the same period last year.

For the year, coal exports from the three terminals totaled 14 million st, down 1.3% from the same period in 2020.