Coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, rose to their highest level in three months in August, reflecting slightly more robust international thermal coal markets and possibly more consistent operations at one of the coal terminals in the region.

Terminals in Hampton Roads loaded 3.37mn short tons (3.06mn metric tonnes) of coal last month, up from 3.23mn st in August 2023, according to the Virginia Maritime Association. Additionally, the association tracked 50 coal vessels departing the port during the month compared with 43 vessels transporting coal in the same month last year.

Export volumes were still lower than the 11-year high in May, when Hampton Roads exported 4.62mn st of coal that included shipments that were diverted from the Port of Baltimore, Maryland following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge on 26 March.

Some thermal coal export prices rose during August as European-delivered markets trended upward. The average for the mid-point of the high-low range for prompt two-month shipments of 6,000 kcal/kg thermal coal out of Hampton Roads increased to $111.66/t fob in August compared with $105.88/t in the same month last year.

However, seaborne metallurgical coal demand was relatively muted last month and some coking coal prices slid from a year earlier. Argus’ high-volatile type A metallurgical coal assessment averaged $187.50/t fob Hampton Roads last month, down from $203.52/t in August 2023.

The higher exports hauled through Hampton Roads in August were driven by increased volumes at the Dominion Terminal Associates (DTA) facility, which is co-owned by Alpha Metallurgical Resources and Arch Resources. DTA handled 1.44mn st of coal last month, up by 24pc from the same period in 2023.

Alpha and Arch did not respond to requests for comment. Alpha had said last year that DTA had experienced mechanical issues in the third quarter that had hindered its ability to load coal.

The other two coal terminals at the port tracked by the Virginia Maritime Association loaded less coal in August compared with a year earlier. Norfolk Southern’s Lamberts Point terminal loaded 1.13mn st of coal during the month, falling by 7.3pc from August 2023, and exports at Kinder Morgan’s Pier IX decreased by 4.4pc to 804,397st in August.

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