Great Lakes iron ore trade remains flat in October

Although iron ore shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports rose 5.4 percent in October from a year prior, loadings from Canadian ports tumbled 33.4 percent.    Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5.3 million tons in October, virtually unchanged from October 2015, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents 14 American companies that operate 56 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes.
   Shipments from U.S. ports on the Great Lakes totaled 4.8 million tons in October, a 5.4 percent increase from October 2015.
   Meanwhile, iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes from Canada tumbled 33.4 percent year-over-year to 482,720 tons during the month, all of which came from Port Cartier, Quebec.
   On a year-to-date basis, a total of 43.4 million tons of iron ore has been shipped on the Great Lakes, a 2.2 percent drop from the comparable period in 2015.