US Coal Exports Total 6.6 Million mt in June, Up 34.7% on Year

US coal exports totaled 6.6 million mt in June, up 1% from May and up 34.7% from the same month a year ago, US Census data showed.

For the first six months of the year, US coal exports totaled 40 million mt, up 55.4% compared with the same period last year.

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May metallurgic coal exports totaled 3.88 million mt, down 6.3% from May, but up 24.9% from the year-ago month. Year-to-date met coal exports totaled 23.24 million mt, up 26.7% from the same period last year.

Top met coal export destinations in June were Japan, which imported 498,967 mt, compared with 245,329 mt in the year-ago month; Canada, which imported 429,073 mt, compared with 209,293 mt last year; and Brazil, which imported 372,321 mt, compared with 545,923 mt last year.

Bituminous coal exports in June totaled 1.84 million mt, up 0.9% from May and up 16.9% from last year. Year-to-date bituminous coal exports totaled 12.81 million mt, up 112.6% from the year-ago period.

Top bituminous coal export destinations in June were India, which imported 276,327 mt, compared with 184,397 mt in the year-ago month; Germany, which imported 197,796 mt, compared with 143,703 mt last year; and Chile, which imported 180,575 mt, compared with a trivial amount last year.

Subbituminous coal exports from the US totaled 882,451 mt in June, up 53.9% from the prior month and up 554.9% from the year-ago month. For the year, subbituminous coal exports totaled 3.72 million mt, up 312.5% from the year-ago period.

The top importer of US subbituminous coal in June was South Korea, which shipped 420,640 mt, compared with zero in the year-ago month; Morocco, which imported 237,312 mt after importing zero in the year-ago month; and Mexico, which imported 223,611 mt, compared with 133,758 mt last year.

On the origination side, Norfolk, Virginia, shipped out the most total coal with 2.53 million mt exported during the month, up from 1.93 million mt in the year-ago month; the Port of Baltimore shipped out 1.16 million mt in June, up from 1.06 million mt in the year-ago month; and Mobile, Alabama, exported 715,727 mt, down from 822,507 mt in the year-ago month.