Coal up 12% in September on Great Lakes

Coal shipments on the Great Lakes reached 3 million tons for the month, the Lakes Carriers’ Association said.    Coal shipments on the Great Lakes reached 3 million tons in September, an increase of more than 12 percent compared to a year ago, the Cleveland-based Lakes Carriers’ Association said Thursday.  
   Vessel loadings, however, were 6.5 percent below the month’s long-term average.
   Shipments from Lake Superior ports were 1.7 million tons, an increase of 7.5 percent compared to a year ago, but well off the month’s long-term average, while Lake Michigan loadings totaled 250,000 tons, a decrease of 5 percent compared to a year ago, and 26 percent below the month’s long-term average, the association said. Shipments from Lake Erie ports reached 1 million tons, an increase of about 28 percent compared to a year ago, and 8.3 percent better than the month’s long-term average.
   Year-to-date the Great Lakes coal trade stands at 15.7 million tons, a decrease of 7.4 percent compared to a year ago. “The gap between this year and last has narrowed considerably since ice released its stranglehold on the Lakes in May. At the end of April, shipments were nearly 50 percent behind the previous year,” LCA said.
   LCA represents 17 American companies that operate 57 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes.