Great Lakes, Seaway iron ore trade up 3.1 percent

Loadings at Canadian terminals climbed 13.7 percent in May.    Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.3 million tons in May, an increase of 3.1 percent compared to a year ago.
   According to the Lake Carriers’ Association, the May total is “just about on par with the month’s five-year average.”
   Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 5.9 million tons in May, an increase of 2.4 percent. Loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway totaled 443,000 tons, an increase of 13.7 percent, the Lake Carriers’ Association said.
   The report for May said that year to date the iron ore trade stood at 15.7 million tons, a decrease of 7.6 percent compared to the same point in 2017. Year-over-year, loadings at U.S. ports totaled 14.1 million tons, a decrease of 9 percent. Shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway increased slightly to 1.64 million tons.