US Gulf coal loadings resume after Francine: Update

Market: Coal, Coking coal, Petroleum coke
18/09/24

Updates status of United Bulk Terminals in paragraph 4

Some coal terminals on the US Gulf Coast have resumed operations this week after power was restored following Hurricane Francine.

SunCoke Energy said today that the Convent Marine Terminal in Louisiana returned to full operations on 15 September. The company said last week that the terminal was not damaged but did lose electricity after the hurricane made landfall in the state on 11 September.

Other terminals in the area that handle coal also experienced some power outages from Francine. Kinder Morgan's International Marine Terminals is "currently ramping back up after working through some power and post-storm issues," the company said today. Kinder Morgan also said all of its other terminals are fully operational.

However, a market source on 17 September said that T Parker Host's United Bulk Terminals (UBT) in Davant, Louisiana, is still under force majeure because a barge reportedly sank and blocked the facility's barge terminal after Francine had passed through Louisiana. Prior to the barge incident, the company had expected the terminal to return to full staff on 13 September. T Parker Host did not respond for requests for comment.

Impala Terminals also has not responded to requests on the status of the Burnside terminal in Louisiana.

Vessel tracking information from analytics firm Kpler show operations from all four terminals have at least partially resumed. A total of five oceangoing vessels arrived at Burnside, UBT and Convent between 13 September and today and all but one of them had already been loaded with coal and departed by today.

By Anna Harmon

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