Coal exports from the Hampton Roads port facilities in Virginia registered a healthy growth of 111.6% year over year, to 3.3 million tons in March, and climbed 18.7% compared to February's total, according to data obtained April 4 from the Virginia Maritime Association.

Coal exports from Norfolk Southern Corp.'s Lamberts Point facility, which primarily handles metallurgical coal, totaled 1.5 million tons in March, surging 90.3% compared to 799,839 tons of coal delivered in March 2016.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP's Pier IX facility, which mostly handles thermal coal, spiked 88.4% year over year, exporting 716,892 tons of coal in March compared to 380,530 tons in the year-ago period.

It was also a bullish month for Dominion Terminal Associates LLP, owned by coal producers Contura Energy Inc. and Arch Coal Inc., which soared 177.6% year over year to 1.1 million tons, against 391,089 tons in March 2016.