Great Lakes iron ore shipments surge in September

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes surged 23.4 percent for the month compared with the same period a year ago, bettering the month’s 5-year average by 8.5 percent, according to data from the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).    A total of 6.5 million tons or iron ore were shipped on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in September, an increase of 23.4 percent compared to a year ago, according to data released Nov. 7 by the association representing over a dozen companies operating US-flagged vessels on the seaway.
   The shipments bettered the month’s 5-year average by 8.5 percent, according to Lake Carriers’ Association statistics.
   LCA data show that shipments from U.S. ports totaled 6.2 million tons in September, a rise of 25.8 percent compared to a year ago.  However, loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway dipped by a boatload or so to 303,000 tons.
   For the first nine months of the year, iron ore trade stood at 43.3 million tons, an increase of 13.7 percent compared to the same three quarters in 2016, the LCA said.
   Year-over-year, loadings at U.S. ports total 40 million tons, an increase of 16.7 percent, but shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway decreased 13.1 percent to a total of 3.3 million tons.
   The iron ore shipments data came on the heels of the LCA revealing a day earlier that limestone shipments on the Great Lakes rose 10.6 percent in October compared to a year ago, to reach a total 3.65 million tons.
   The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies that operate 49 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes. Collectively, the vessels can transport more than 100 million tons of cargo per year, according to the LCA.