Halted shipping traffic from the Port of Baltimore, the second-largest U.S. hub for coal exports, will slow the growth in U.S. coal exports and reduce bunker fuel use, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on March 28.
Coal exports from the busy U.S. port have been disrupted following the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge which was struck by a massive cargo ship early morning of March 26.
"Since the port is a major transit point for freight and bulk vessels, we expect bunker fuel consumption to decrease," the EIA added.
Baltimore handled exports of 28 million short tons last year, making up 28% of total U.S. coal exports and second only to the Hampton Roads port in Norfolk, Virginia, according to census data.
"An attractive feature of the Port of Baltimore is its proximity to the northern Appalachia coal fields in western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia," the EIA said.
"Other nearby ports, most notably Hampton Roads, have additional capacity to export coal, although factors including coal quality, pricing, and scheduling will affect how easily companies can switch to exporting from another port."
About 19 million short tons of the exports in 2023 were steam coal, used to generate power and heat, and the remaining 9 million short tons were metallurgical coal, an ingredient in steelmaking.
India was the top destination for steam coal over the last five years, where the brick manufacturing industry is a major customer, while metallurgical coal went to various Asian countries including Japan, China, and South Korea, the EIA said.
Baltimore also imported 3,000 bbl/d of biodiesel in 2023, mostly from Central America and Western Europe, alongside 4,000 bbl/d of asphalt from Canada and 2,000 bbl/d of urea ammonium nitrate largely from Russia.
More widely used refined oil products are less affected, the EIA noted.
Recommended Reading
GA Drilling Moves Deep Geothermal Tech Closer to Commercialization
2025-02-19 - The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the next generation of geothermal projects could provide some 90 gigawatts in the U.S. by 2050.
Black & Veatch to Build Two Battery Storage Projects in UK
2025-02-11 - Serving as the projects’ owner’s engineer and technical advisor, Black & Veatch will review and provide technical advice, construction monitoring and schedule tracking services.
Ørsted, PGE Greenlight Baltica 2 Wind Project Offshore Poland
2025-01-29 - Ørsted said Baltica 2 is expected to be fully commissioned in 2027.
Energy Transition in Motion (Week of March 21, 2025)
2025-03-21 - Here is a look at some of this week’s renewable energy news, including a move by U.S. President Donald Trump to boost domestic production of critical minerals.
TotalEnergies, STMicroelectronics Ink 1.5 TWh Renewable Power Deal
2025-01-28 - As part of the 15-year contract, TotalEnergies will provide solar and wind power to New York-based STMicroelectronics.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.