Great Lakes limestone trade grows 10.6% in October

October’s limestone loadings on the Great Lakes were also 7.5 percent ahead of the month’s five-year average, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).    Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes of North America rose 10.6 percent last month compared to a year ago, to reach a total 3.65 million tons, according to newly released statistics from the association representing over a dozen companies operating U.S.-flagged vessels on the Great Lakes.
   October’s loadings were also 7.5 percent ahead of the month’s 5-year average, according to Lake Carriers’ Association data.
   There was a total of 3 million tons of loadings from U.S. quarries last month, which the LCA says was an increase of 11.1 percent compared to October 2016. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 665,000 tons, an increase of 8.4 percent over a year ago, data show.
   For the first 10 months of the year, the Great Lakes limestone trade stands at 23.8 million tons, up 4.3 percent compared to a year ago, the LCA said, with loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 19.5 million tons, an increase of 6.1 percent.
   Shipments from Ontario, Canada quarries, however, totaled 4.25 million tons, a three percent drop.
   U.S. ports information used in the data include Calcite, Mich.; Cedarville, Mich.; Drummond Island, Mich.; Marblehead, Ohio; Port Inland, Mich.; and Presque Isle, Mich. Canadian ports included were Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island and Smelter Bay, all of which are located in Ontario.
   The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies that operate 49 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes. Collectively, the vessels can transport more than 100 million tons of cargo per year, according to the LCA.