NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Norfolk Southern announced they have significantly ramped up their coal dumping capability at their Lambert’s Point Pier 6 location, the Northern Hemisphere’s largest facility for loading coal, following the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The March bridge collapse caused Lambert’s Point to handle significantly more tons of export coal for the month of April. Even more tonnages are anticipated for the month of May, as more supply chain solutions are executed.
According to Norfolk Southern, recent investments in people and infrastructure have led to the capacity to process more coal.
“It takes an incredible amount of coordination to make the entire supply chain work for our customers and Norfolk Southern was ready to meet the challenge,” Chief Operating Officer John Orr said. “Our balanced strategy and disciplined approach to Operations allows us the agility to serve our customers. The entrepreneurial spirit and partnership clearly establishes [Norfolk Southern] as the backbone of the U.S. economy. We’re delivering for all stakeholders through this value at Lambert’s Point.”
Lambert’s Point added a third shift late last year, as well as increased their maintenance plan in November, in the hopes of increasing the reliability and capacity of the facility.
Norfolk Southern stated the additional capacity allowed Lambert’s Point to increase their spot production by using two loading crews in one shift, noting that in Feb. 2024, over 830 cars of coal were dumped two days in a row, the most in over a decade.
“We’re getting the right coal, in the right vessel, and at the right time,” Terminal Superintendent Rom Novitske said. “As a result of the resources we’ve invested in Lambert’s Point, we are exceeding the production schedule of many of our customers.”
According to Norfolk Southern, workers from transportation, mechanical, marketing, network operations center, engineering and network planning all worked together to ensure Lambert’s Point meets global energy demands.
“Our ability to effectively serve the market at this time is really a demonstration of our strategy in action to provide safe, reliable, and resilient service,” Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins said. “This is a 24/7 effort involving numerous individuals and teams from across Norfolk Southern to get the job done for our customers.”