Great Lakes iron ore, limestone volumes sink in July

Iron ore shipments along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in July most commonly originated from Two Harbors, Minn., followed by Superior, Wis.; Presque Isle, Mich.; and Port Cartier, Quebec.    Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway slipped 14.9 percent year-over-year in July to 5.6 million tons, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents 14 American companies that operate 56 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes.
   Iron ore loadings from U.S. ports during the month fell 13.7 percent since last July to 5 million tons.
   In the U.S., iron or shipments in July along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway originated from Two Harbors, Minn. (1.6 million tons), followed by Superior, Wis. (978,771 tons); Presque Isle, Mich. (902,102 tons); Escanaba, Mich. (588,997 tons); Duluth, Minn. (374,591 tons); Cleveland, Ohio (290,923 tons); and Silver Bay, Minn. (254,819 tons).
   Shipments of iron ore from Canada in July, fell 23.1 percent year-over-year to 642,855 tons, all of which originated from Port Cartier, Quebec.
   Meanwhile, the Great Lakes limestone trade was also much lower in July compared to last year, as the increase in shipments from Canadian quarries was not large enough to offset the decline in loadings from U.S. quarries.
   During the month, loadings from U.S. quarries reached 2.6 million tons, a 26.3 percent decline from July 2015. However, shipments from Canadian quarries surged 35.5 percent year-over-year to 761,773 tons.