Great Lakes limestone trade jumps 6.4% in 2017

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes increased 6.4 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).    Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28 million tons in 2017, an increase of 6.4 percent compared to 2016, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).
   Last year’s loadings were also 2.1 percent above the trade’s 5-year average, said the association. Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 23.2 million tons, an increase of 8.4 percent compared to 2016. Shipments from U.S. quarries also passed their 5-year average.
   Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 4.85 million tons, a decrease of 2.1 percent from 2016, but 10.4 percent better than their 5-year average, according to LCA data.
   U.S. ports in the limestone trade include Marblehead, OH and Calcite, Cedarville, Drummond Island, Port Inland and Presque Isle in Minnesota. Canadian ports in the limestone trade include Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island and Smelter Bay, all in Ontario.