Louis Campion, president and CEO of the Maryland Trucking Association, spoke on “The Bottom Line” about the impact of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on trucks and transportation routes.
closure of port of baltimore U.S. coal exports could slow after a container ship hits a fallen bridge in a port, impacting shipping traffic, according to a report released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The Port of Baltimore is the second largest shipping hub in the United States. coal export, chaos is brewing after the city’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning. The giant container ship “Dali” lost power while passing through the strait under the bridge and collided with one of the supports, resulting in the bridge collapsing.
The Port of Baltimore has been closed indefinitely following the accident, but it is unclear when the channel will be cleared, as debris from ships and bridges remains in the channel. Experts predict a timeline of weeks to months for the waterway to be cleared and the port to reopen.
“An attractive feature of the Port of Baltimore is its proximity to the northern Appalachian coalfields of western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia,” EIA wrote in the report. “Other nearby ports, particularly Hampton Roads, have additional capacity to export coal.” However, factors such as coal quality, price, and schedule will determine how easily companies can export from other ports. This will affect whether you can switch. ”
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The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and closure of shipping traffic at the Port of Baltimore could impact U.S. coal exports. (Michael A. McCoy of The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The Port of Baltimore’s share of U.S. coal exports rose from between 20% and 25% from 2019 to 2022 to 28% last year, according to Census Bureau data highlighted in the EIA report. . EIA attributes this increase to growth Demand for US coal in Asia – However, he noted that coal export growth is expected to slow to just 1% in 2024.
The coal exported from the Port of Baltimore is primarily thermal coal, used primarily for power generation and industrial heating. Thermal coal accounted for 19 million short tons of the port’s coal exports last year, compared with an average of about 12 million short tons over the past four years.
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Debris from the Dali River and Francis Scott Key Bridge has blocked the main waterway to the Port of Baltimore. (Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Metallurgical coal, used as a feedstock in steel production, accounts for a large portion of exports from the Port of Baltimore, reaching 6 million short tons to 10 million short tons from 2019 to 2023.
Most of the thermal coal shipped from Baltimore goes to India, which uses the coal in its brick-making industry. Some of the coal goes to Dutch ports serving European countries, while smaller amounts go to the Dominican Republic, Canada and Egypt.
Exports of metallurgical coal from Baltimore primarily go to Asian countries, with Japan receiving 28% last year, followed by South Korea and Japan.
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It’s unclear when debris will be cleared from the Patapsco River channel, which connects to the Port of Baltimore. (Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images/Getty Images)
EIA noted that the Port of Baltimore handles only a limited amount of cargo. imported petroleum products, biodiesel feedstock and other edible oils are the most common, followed by fertilizers and asphalt. It also imports more urea ammonium nitrate, a common liquid fertilizer, than any other port on the Atlantic Coast.
Other ports that can handle asphalt are Providence, Rhode Island; New York City; EIA says urea ammonium nitrate can go to Norfolk and Wilmington, Virginia.
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Port closures are also expected to reduce consumption of bunker fuel, which is commonly used to power ships.
“Bunker fuel consumption is expected to decrease as the port is a major transit point for cargo and bulk carriers,” the EIA said.
