Great Lakes 2005 coal shipments up 7%

Great Lakes 2005 coal shipments up 7%    U.S. shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 42.7 million tons in 2005, a 7 percent increase compared to 2004, according to figures released by the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).
   The Great Lakes coal trade also outperformed its five-year average by nearly 3 percent. The year’s ranking coal dock was the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, Wis., which shipped a record 20.5 million tons of western, low-sulfur coal in 2005. The dock’s previous peak, 18.3 million tons, was set in 2004.
   Shipments of eastern coal from Lake Erie terminals rose 750,000 tons last year, but remained well below their five-year average. “With demand for Great Lakes coal more or less stable, increases in shipments of western coal have reduced loadings of eastern coal,” the LCA explained.
   As for limestone, Great Lakes shipments from both U.S. and Canadian ports decreased 6.2 percent to 37.7 million tons, but were “essentially on par with the trade’s five-year average,” the LCA said.
   The year-end limestone total would have been higher, but all Great Lakes trades suffered from significant weather delays in November. Limestone was hit hardest since much of the aggregate and fluxstone is rinsed with water prior to loading, which means that trade must stop once temperatures are consistently below freezing.
   LCA, based in Cleveland, represents 12 American corporations that operate 54 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes.