Coal loadings for Panamax and Supramax bulkers will likely be back at full capacity at Hampton Roads port on the easing of winter storm conditions today, according to logistics firm Capes Shipping.

The New Honor Kamsarmax bulker was at the Norfolk Southern Pier 6 terminal, in Virginia, and likely loading coal as of this morning. The vessel was supposed to arrive and begin loading on 18 February, according to Capes Shipping, suggesting delays could be shorter than the one week projected by shipping agency Host on 19 February.

“Coal piers all resumed loading operations [and there is] no prolonged impact due to the winter storm,” Capes Shipping said Friday. “Temperatures were below freezing in the past few days so this would have slowed loading, but they are expected to rise today and over the next five days so a lot of the snow and ice received in the area should melt,” it said.

Norfolk Southern’s main rail lines servicing the region were back in operation by midday on 20 February after the flooding that precipitated the cold snap in the region beginning 17 February made rail lines to Norfolk and the ports of Virginia “impassable”, according to the major rail operator.

Hampton Roads itself remained open in that time but the Norfolk Southern Pier 6 coal terminal halted operations on 19 February before resuming on 20 February, according to Capes Shipping.

Hampton Roads is a major export port for US coal, and loadings at the port accounted for 34.3pc of the US’ total coal exports for the month of December 2024, according to Kpler.

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