Great Lakes iron ore shipments rise in May

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway increased 53 percent in May from April.    Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway were on the rise in May, with 6.6 million tons of shipments travelling through the waterways, a 53 percent increase from April, and a 4 percent increase from May 2014, the Lakes Carriers’ Association said in a statement.
   In May, shipments from United States ports on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan totaled 6 million tons, while shipments from Canadian ports reached 700,000 tons, a year-over-year increase of 2.6 percent and 17.8 percent, respectively.
   Through May, ore trade on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 14.9 million tons, an increase of 16.9 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Loadings from U.S. ports totaled 12.9 million tons, up 18.3 percent, and loadings from Canadian ports totaled 2 million tons, up 8 percent.