Great Lakes ore trade suffers from April ice

Heavy ice on the Great Lakes slowed some vessels and delayed others in April, causing iron ore shipments to drop 15% below average for the month.    Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway fell to 4.3 million tons in April, nearly 15 percent below the month’s long-term average, according to the latest figures from the Lake Carriers’ Association.
   The heavy ice slowed some vessels in service, and delayed many others throughout the month. LCA said several U.S.-flag vessel operators chose not to deploy ships at all to avoid the ice “because the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards do not have enough icebreakers to adequately cover the system.”
   Through April, ore volumes for the Great Lakes are down 16.5 percent to 8.2 million tons compared to the long-term average. Loadings out of U.S. ports on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are down more than 21 percent compared to their long-term average, according to LCA.
   “April was again proof positive that we need more icebreaking resources,” James Weakley, president of Lake Carriers’ Association, said in a statement. “Even though domestic steel production has been slowed by dumped foreign steel and global overcapacity, the mills and power plants needed to be resupplied after the winter closure.  Unfortunately, extreme ice conditions, especially in Whitefish Bay at the eastern end of Lake Superior, forced many vessels to wait until convoys could be formed and led through the ice fields.”
   For the second year in a row, harsh winter weather has slowed early season trade on the Great Lakes, prompting Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., to include a provision in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 1987) approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that directs the U.S. Coast Guard to build a new icebreaking vessel for service on the Great Lakes.
   “We thank Congresswoman Miller for recognizing the need for more U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers on the Great Lakes,” said Weakley. “This new icebreaker must be at least equal to the heavy icebreaking capabilities of the MACKINAW.  We will be working with the entire Great Lakes delegation to ensure this provision remains in the final bill passed by the House and Senate.”
   Lake Carriers’ Association represents 16 American companies that operate 56 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes, carrying raw materials like iron ore, fluxstone, aggregate, cement, coal, salt, sand and grain.