News

US rail agency to act soon on rate review changes

The US Surface Transportation Board (STB) is expected within the next two weeks to begin a process for rethinking how it determines whether rail transportation rates are reasonable, agency vice chairman Patrick Fuchs said yesterday. Updating those rules is the agency’s top priority, Fuchs said yesterday at the National Coal Transportation Association’s annual meeting in […]

US coal exports fall to almost 3-year low

US coal exports dropped to a 33-month low in July, as fundamentals in overseas markets continued to erode. Shipments fell by 34.6pc from year-earlier levels, to 6.49mn short tons (5.95mn metric tonnes), the US Census Bureau said yesterday. The last time coal volumes were lower was in October 2016. Thermal coal led the declines amid […]

Southeast US ports brace for Hurricane Dorian: Update

Updates port conditions and category of Hurrican Dorian. New York, 3 September (Argus) — The US Coast Guard (USCG) closed the port at Brunswick, Georgia, and the Florida ports of Canaveral and Jacksonville as Hurricane Dorian, downgraded to a category 2 storm this afternoon, moved up the east coast. The USCG said it expected to […]

Illinois Basin coal output stabilizes YOY despite declining export market

Illinois Basin coal production among the top 25 producers was flat in the second quarter from the year-ago period despite low export thermal coal prices and logistical issues that plagued exporters in the region. The basin’s 25 best-producing coal mines produced about 24.1 million tons during the recent period, a 0.8% increase from the year-ago […]

Australia turns to India for coal exports: Update

Australia is focused on growing the Indian thermal coal market for its exports, despite warnings that the demand profile in India is uncertain. Australia’s resources minister Matthew Canavan flew into Calcutta today to promote sales of Australian thermal coal into India armed with a report from the government’s commodity forecaster the Office of the Chief […]

Court rejects another Wash. export project appeal

A Washington state court yesterday upheld state regulators’ denial of a permit needed to build the Northwest’s last remaining proposal for a new coal export facility. The Washington Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that Millennium Bulk Terminals was unfairly denied access to build docks on the Columbia River. The coal company behind the project, […]

Hampton Roads coal exports fell in July

Coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, fell for the sixth straight month in July. Loadings from the port’s three terminals dropped to 2.49mn short tons (2.26mn metric tonnes) from 3.43mn st a year earlier, according to data from the Virginia Maritime Association released today. Exports from all three coal terminals fell. Shipments out of […]

Asian coal market oversupply to continue

Asian thermal coal markets are likely to remain oversupplied, potentially causing trouble for western US exports, consultant Andrew Blumenfeld said yesterday. Despite weak prices, thermal coal producers in Australia and Indonesia are unlikely to pull back production, Blumenfeld, who is head of market analytics at Doyle Trading Consultants (DTC), said yesterday at the American Coal […]

Canada’s Ridley Terminals July coal exports climb 12.9% on month, 13.2% on year

Houston — Coal exports from the Ridley Terminal in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, totaled 799,570 mt in July, up 12.9% from 707,925 mt in June and 13.2% from 706,639 mt in the year-ago month, according to data from the Prince Rupert Port Authority. The total, which combines metallurgical and thermal coal, was the third highest […]