The company said that its facility at Lamberts Point in Norfolk loaded 159,941.45 net tons, or 145,097.931 metric tons, of metallurgical coal January 12. The quantity, which was shipped by Xcoal Energy and Resources and Consol Energy’s Virginia operations in 1561 rail cars, is enough to make 207,000 tons of steel.

The M/V Cape Dover is now taking the heavy load to China, though NS did not indicate the specific receiver.

The load, readied on the 951-foot vessel in less than 48 hours due to an aggressive delivery schedule, is the largest volume cargo in the facility’s 50-year history.

“This is the kind of capacity and service that makes Pier 6 the preeminent coal transloading facility on the East Coast,” NS group vice president for export, metallurgical, and industrial coal marketing Mark Bower said.

“Worldwide demand for US 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.”

The achievement beats the shipper’s former record set in 1998, when crews loaded the M/V Irongate with 157,645 net tons, as well as the 155,522 net tons it loaded on the M/V Cape Provence in December 2010.

Norfolk Southern, one of the nation’s largest coal rail shippers, has been transferring both coal and coke from coal cars to export and domestic vessels in Lamberts Point since it opened Pier 1 in 1884.

Piers 2-5, all established in the first half of the last century, had speed and capacity improvements. Pier 6 opened for business in 1962 and was the largest, fastest, and most efficient transloading facility in the hemisphere.

Pier 6, which primarily transports coal from southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and Pennsylvania, set a world record in 1999 when it became the only facility to dump one billion tons of coal.