US-flag Shipping on Great Lakes Up 7%in August
The Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) said U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 10.1 million tons of cargo in August, an increase of 7 percent compared to a year ago. The month’s shipments also bettered the August long-term average by approximately 60,000 tons.
Iron ore cargos for steelmaking totaled 4.7 million tons, an increase of 4.7 percent compared to a year ago.
Coal loadings neared 1.6 million tons, an increase of 8.5 percent.
Limestone cargos increased nearly 10 percent to 3.2 million tons.
Year-over-year U.S.-flag cargos total 50.4 million tons, an increase of 1.3 percent over the same point in 2016. Iron ore shipments have increased 6 percent to 27.6 million tons. Coal cargos are virtually unchanged – 7.5 million tons. The 12.6 million tons of aggregate, fluxstone and scrubber stone shipped represent a decrease of 5.8 percent.
