US thermal coal exports rose from year-earlier levels in July after declining the previous month.

Shipments from US ports climbed to 4.41mn short tons (4mn metric tonnes) during the month from 2.84mn st a year earlier, preliminary figures from the US Commerce Department showed today.

The year-on-year increase for July may have at least partly reflected a shift in the timing of exports. Volumes in June had dipped from a year earlier. In addition, July 2023 steam coal exports were well below volumes of other months that year, while the data for July 2024 have volumes as the third-highest so far this year.

But the data also suggest relatively steady interest from buyers in northeast Asia, Egypt and Morocco.

US thermal coal exports to Japan climbed to 519,328st in July from 351,744st a year earlier, with shipments of bituminous and sub-bituminous coal each up from a year earlier. Sub-bituminous coal volumes to South Korea also increased to 398,217st from 249,871 st and offset the fact that no US bituminous steam coal was exported to the country during the month. Exports to China also jumped to 335,983st from almost nothing a year prior.

US thermal coal exports to India also rose – to 1.02mn st in July 2024 from 864,769st a year earlier – but were the second-lowest so far this year.

Closer to the Atlantic basin, thermal coal exports to Morocco rose to 405,140st from 319,499st in July 2023, and volumes to Egypt tripled to 349,989st. US thermal coal exports to the Americas, including Canada, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, also increased from a year prior.

Thermal coal exports to Europe continued to be lower than year-earlier levels but were more than double the four-year low that had been set in June.

Shipments of all types of US thermal coal appeared to be higher in July than they had been a year earlier. Exports out of New Orleans, Louisiana – an exit point for high-sulfur Illinois basin coal and mid-sulfur blends – jumped to 1.39mn st from 395,237st. Volumes out of Baltimore, Maryland – which are mainly high sulfur Northern Appalachian coal – also increased, as did exports out of Norfolk, Virginia, which are usually low-sulfur Central Appalachian coal. Bituminous coal exports out of Los Angeles, California, and sub-bituminous coal exports out of the Seattle, Washington, also were higher than they had been a year prior.

View article here.