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On Jan. 12, Norfolk Southern Corp. set a loading volume record at its Pier 6 coal transloading facility at Lamberts Point in Norfolk, Va. The Class I loaded 159,941 net tons of metallurgical coal into a ship destined for China, eclipsing the former record of 157,645 net tons set in 1998 and a mark of 155,522 net tons established in 2010.

The coal — enough to produce about 207,000 tons of steel — was shipped by Xcoal Energy & Resources in conjunction with CONSOL Energy from mining operations in Virginia in 1,561 coal cars. NS loaded the 951-foot vessel in less than 48 hours.

“Worldwide demand for U.S. coal for utilities and coke plants continues to grow, and the railroad is the reliable and safe link that, with our coal production and sales partners, brings that energy to market around the globe,” said Mark Bower, NS’ group vice president-export, metallurgical and industrial coal marketing, in a prepared statement.
 
NS has been transferring coal and coke from rail cars into ocean-going ships and domestic vessels in the Lamberts Point area since 1884. Most of the coal moving through Pier 6, which opened in 1962, originates in southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and is shipped to several dozen countries and many domestic receivers.