Page 18 - Port of Baltimore Magazine July August 2011

Cargo
OAL
Around the Clock
Baltimore’s coal piers are buzzing. Ships are literally waiting in line
at the anchorage to be loaded. The global market has developed
an appetite for coal from the vast fields of Pennsylvania and
Appalachia and can’t get enough of it. So, 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, coal is moving from the mines across the piers, to
the ships and across the world.
“It is because of the professionalism of all the players that Baltimore
has been able to sustain this tremendous growth in export coal,” said
Christopher Marsh, Vice President of CNX Terminal, one of two coal
terminals in Baltimore. “In this business, you are only as strong as
the weakest link in your supply chain.”
The growth in coal exports has been tremendous by any
measure. The first half of 2011 saw double the volume of coal
through the Port compared to the same period last year. More
than one million tons of coal per month leave Baltimore
Harbor, and there seems to be no end in sight.
“We are clearly in a boom period for coal exports,
and that is good news for the Port of Baltimore,” said
Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Director of
Marketing Richard Powers. “Baltimore is one of the
few ports on the East Coast with a deep enough
draft to handle coal. Our private terminals
that handle coal are very experienced and
do an outstanding job. We expect the high
demand for coal, especially in China, to
Increase in Exports Fuels
Expansion of Operations
[16] The Port of Baltimore ■ July/August 2011
BY KATHY BERGREN SMITH