Great Lakes iron ore, limestone shipments decline in June

Iron ore loadings from the United States on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in June primarily originated from Two Harbors, Minn. (1.4 million tons), followed by Superior, Wis. (1.3 million tons) and Presque Isle, Mich. (892,722 tons).    The Great Lakes experienced a decline in iron ore and limestone shipments in June compared to a year prior, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association.
   During the month, a total of 5.8 million tons of iron ore were shipped on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, a 7.3 percent decline from June 2015.
   Iron ore loadings from U.S. ports in June reached 5.2 million tons, while shipments from Canadian ports totaled 563,857 tons, a year-over-year drop of 5.5 percent and 18.9 percent, respectively.
   In the U.S., iron ore shipments in June along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway most commonly originated from Two Harbors, Minn. (1.4 million tons), followed by Superior, Wis. (1.3 million tons) and Presque Isle, Mich. (892,722 tons).
   Canadian iron ore shipments in June were largely hindered by the decline in loadings from Port Cartier, Quebec, where almost all of the Canadian iron ore is shipped from. During the month, shipments from Port Cartier totaled 518,662 tons, a year-over-year decline of 18.3 percent.
   Meanwhile, limestone shipments on the Great Lakes fell 7.8 percent year-over-year in June to 3.7 million tons.
   Limestone loadings from U.S. quarries tumbled 10.1 percent from June 2015 to 2.9 million tons, while shipments from Canadian quarries inched up 2.2 percent from last June to 780,907 tons.