U.S.-flag lakers move 3.4 million tons in January

U.S.-flag lakers move 3.4 million tons in January    The Lake Carriers' Association reported U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 3.4 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in January, a 46 percent increaser over a year ago.
   The January float was also 18 percent better than the month's five-year average.
   The main reason the fleet performed so strongly was demand for iron ore called for extending the shipping season through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. by three days. The Jan. 18 closing allowed U.S.-flag lakers to carry an extra 380,000 tons of iron ore and 90,000 tons of coal, the association said.
   However, not all of the additional tons moved during the extension.    The association said some of the cargos were loaded on Jan. 13-14.    These cargos would not have moved had the locks closed on Jan. 15.
   'With winter in full swing, the vessels might have been delayed by weather and/or ice and unable to reach the locks by midnight Jan. 15,' the Lake Carriers' Association said. 'The extension provided enough leeway that the cargos could be loaded.'