Baltimore bridge collapse will likely block coal exports for weeks

The collapse of a major Baltimore bridge is likely to shut down coal exports for as many as six weeks and block the transport of up to 2.5-million tons of coal, said Ernie Thrasher, CEO of Xcoal Energy & Resources. The US exported about 74-million tons of coal last year, with Baltimore the second-largest terminal for the commodity. Plugging up a major coal hub threatens to disrupt global energy supply chains that have finally begun to work out the kinks left over from pandemic slowdowns.