Now it bustles with vessels loading up with coal, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine drives a worldwide race for the polluting fuel. The resurgent coal demand, driven by governments trying to wean themselves off Russian energy while keeping a lid on power prices, clashes with climate plans to shift away from the most polluting fossil fuel. Global seaborne thermal coal imports reached 97.8 million tonnes in July, the highest level on record and up more than 9% year-on-year, an analysis from ship broker Braemar shows. The bloc's ban on Russian coal imports has further increased pressure on electricity generators to find alternative sources of the fuel. Russia usually provides about 70% of the EU's thermal coal, according to the Brussels-based think-tank Bruegel, while it typically supplies 40% of the bloc's natural gas.

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