Ore shipments on Great Lakes strong

Ore shipments on Great Lakes strong    Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway continued to gain strength in August, said the Lake Carriers Association.
   Loadings for the month totaled 6.7 million net tons, an 11.3 percent increase compared to a year ago, and 7 percent above a five-year average, the association said.
   However, “the trade continues to be affected lack of adequate dredging at ports and waterways. The top loads continued to fall short of vessels’ rated capacities,” the association said.
   The dredging problem has been aggravated by below-average water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron. Six of the seven U.S. iron ore loading ports are located on Lake Superior and the seventh, Escanaba, Mich., is on the north shore of Lake Michigan.
   The association said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates it would cost more than $200 million to clear the backlog of dredging projects throughout the Great Lakes.