Great Lakes ore floats high in September

Iron ore shipments for U.S.-flag Great Lakes vessels reached 7 million tons for the third straight month.    Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes reached 7 million tons for the third straight month in September and represented an increase of nearly 14 percent compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association.  
   U.S.-flag Great Lakes vessel loadings totaled 6.5 million tons, an increase of 17.4 percent. Included in that total were 125,000 tons shipped to Quebec City, Quebec, where they were then loaded into oceangoing vessels, LCA said.
   Shipments from the two Canadian iron ore ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway reached 500,000 tons, a decrease of 20 percent compared to a year ago. The closure of Wabush Mines has stopped ore loading out of Pointe Noire, the association noted.
   Year-to-date, the Great Lakes’ ore trade stands at 40.7 million tons, a decrease of 2 percent compared to a year ago.  
   “After suffering staggering delays in March and April due to massive ice formations throughout the lakes, shipments from U.S. ports are now down by less than 1 percent. However, loadings from Canadian ports in the seaway have dipped by 14 percent,” LCA said.  
   Ore transshipments to Quebec City stand at 765,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 70 percent.
   The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 17 American companies that operate 57 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes.