Coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, in November rose for a fourth consecutive month, bringing year-to-date volumes above total 2022 shipments.

Terminals in Hampton Roads loaded 3.21mn short tons (2.91mn metric tonnes) of coal last month, up by 24pc from a year earlier, the Virginia Maritime Association estimates.

Year-to-date volumes climbed to 32.2mn st, up by 9.5pc compared with the same 11 months in 2022.

Volume over the last 11 months has exceeded the full 12 months of 2022 volume of 31.8mn by 1.2pc, or 396,212st. Export loadings have exceeded last year’s levels every month this year except for July.

Export shipments have remained strong this year even as domestic demand has dropped. Demand for export coal has been strong for much of this year. Some eastern coal exporters, primarily northern Appalachian coal producers, are facing increased competition from petroleum coke on sales to Indian cement markets. US 6.5pc sulfur petroleum coke was priced at $77/metric tonne on 13 December, down from $93/t on 18 October.

The largest increase of last month’s increase in Hampton Roads’ export loadings occurred at Alpha Metallurgical Resources’ and Arch Resources’ Dominion Terminal Associates (DTA), which boosted shipments by 28pc, or about 294,201st, to 1.36mn st, up from 1.07mn st in November 2022. But volume fell from October 2023 by 5.2pc.

Coal loadings at Kinder Morgan’s Pier IX terminal also grew. Shipments increased by 38pc, or about 215,761st, to 785,210st, up from 569,449st a year earlier.

Pier IX loadings last month climbed by 58pc from the prior month after falling to their lowest level in more than a year during October.

Export volume through of Norfolk Southern’s Lamberts Point rose by 12pc, or about 115,732st, to 1.07mn st from 949,660st from the same month last year. November loadings rose by 11pc compared with the prior month.

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