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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Westshore Terminals Q2 coal exports reach highest level in past year: earnings

Houston — Thermal and metallurgical coal exports from Westshore Terminals near Vancouver, Canada, reached their highest level in four quarters during the second quarter of 2019, mainly due to an increase in met exports, the terminal’s earnings report said. Westshore, the largest coal export facility in North America, shipped 7.6 million mt in Q2, up […]

US rail traffic down on coal demand, trade war

Eastern US railroad CSX is the only major carrier to have increased coal shipments this year, with low natural gas prices driving down shipments at other railroads. The year-on-year increase in CSX’s coal volume has been relatively small, but it stands in sharp contrast with its competitors. CSX coal volume rose by 0.9pc during the […]

Vietnam mulls importing U.S. coal for power generation

Vietnam is considering importing coal from the United States to meet rising demand for the fuel for power generation, state media reported on Tuesday, as the Southeast Asian country plans to build more coal-fired power plants. Vietnam is also seeking to import more U.S. goods to help narrow its trade surplus with the United States […]

World News: Colombian coal output to fall this year: ACM

Colombia’s coal production may decline this year because of low prices, said Juan Camilo Nariño, the new director of the Colombian Mining Association (ACM). Thermal coal prices are at levels that make production from some mine pits unprofitable, Nariño said last week on the sidelines of a mining event organized by the Ministry of Mines […]

Coal ship departures from Baltimore climb on week to eight: cFlow

Houston — Eight laden coal ships departed from Baltimore in the week ended July 28, up from six in the previous week, according to cFlow, Platts’ trade flow software. Two of the departures are expected to stop in Norfolk, Virginia, while another is expected to head to Savannah, Georgia. An additional two ships are destined […]

World News: More Chinese ports tighten coal import restrictions

Customs authorities in eastern China’s Shandong province have tightened restrictions on imported coal, market participants said, following moves by major ports in northern China such as Jingtang and Caofeidian to curb traders’ cargoes earlier this week. Traders’ unsold cargoes are being prevented from clearing through Qingdao and Rizhao customs in the coastal province of Shandong. […]