The closure of the Port of Baltimore due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Big impact on coal exportsaccording to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River after colliding with a container ship on Tuesday, causing a temporary closure of the port. According to EIA, the Port of Baltimore is the second largest coal export hub in the United States, accounting for 28% of exports. Increased demand from Asia led to a surge in volumes, especially last year, reaching 28 million short tons compared to 20 million short tons in 2021 and 2022.
Baltimore has two major full-service terminals and is a major transit station, primarily due to its proximity to the Appalachian coalfields. Only Norfolk, Virginia, about 400 miles away, exports more U.S. coal.
But even before the bankruptcy, the EIA didn’t expect exports from Baltimore to grow as much this year, predicting only about 1% growth.
The majority of coal exported from the port is thermal coal, which is primarily used for power generation. The port’s thermal coal exports also surged last year, to 19 million short tons, up from 12 million short tons in the previous four years.
Most of the thermal coal that leaves Baltimore is destined for India, where India’s brick industry requires about 35 million tons of coal. Research published in Nature. Meanwhile, 28% of metallurgical coal went to Japan last year, with China and South Korea in second and third place. The port is also a major hub for exports via ports in Europe, especially the Netherlands.
It remains unclear when the port will reopen after the collapse. Although the timeline is largely at the discretion of the U.S. Coast Guard, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said at a press conference Wednesday that reopening the river’s navigation channel is one of the first steps. He said there would be one.
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