Coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, increased in May from a year earlier after three consecutive months of declines, partly because a terminal outage weighed on loadings in May 2025.

Terminals at the port loaded a combined 2.78mn short tons (2.52mn metric tonnes) of metallurgical and thermal coal last month, rising from 2.5mn st exported in May last year, the Virginia Maritime Association estimated on Tuesday.

Hampton Roads coal exports had previously lagged year-earlier levels from February-April, primarily because of lackluster demand for coking coal. A planned outage for upgrades at one of the terminals in the region also weighed on exports in March and possibly April even as interest in shipping thermal coal internationally rose.

Seaborne metallurgical coal market pricing remained less favorable last month compared with a year earlier. The monthly average for Argus’ high-volatile type A coking coal assessment was $157.50/t fob Hampton Roads in May, down from $175/t a year earlier.

Still, thermal coal pricing out the port, which has been more volatile since early March in response to the US-Israeli war with Iran, was slightly higher in May than a year earlier, with the midpoint of the high-low range for prompt two-month shipments of 6,000 kcal/kg coal out of Hampton Roads averaging $107.82/t fob last month compared with $103.20/t in May 2025.

But greater loadings at Alpha Metallurgical Resources and Core Natural Resources’ co-owned Dominion Terminal Associates (DTA) facility had the largest impact on Hampton Roads coal loadings last month. The terminal had been out of service for around two weeks in May 2025 and only handled an estimated 376,286st of coal at that time. Exports out of DTA more than doubled to 864,824st in May from a year earlier.

The terminal’s loadings this month may have been affected by severe weather conditions. Core and Alpha [declaredforce majeure](/integration/newsandanalysis/article/2842007) at the terminal after heavy winds damaged a reclaimer machine on 14 June. At least a few shippers were heard in the last week attempting to reroute coal volumes meant for export to alternative terminals at Hampton Roads. And Core said it has made arrangements to move coal through its terminal in Baltimore, Maryland.

Alpha and Core did not immediately respond to provide an updated timeline for theforce majeureat DTA.

Kinder Morgan’s Pier IX terminal also loaded more coal in May than a year earlier, handling 774,563st, up from 637,858st. Norfolk Southern’s Lamberts Point terminal, on the other hand, exported 1.14mn st last month, falling from 1.48mn st in May 2025.

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