Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6,048,409 tons in August, an increase of 2.9 percent compared to a year ago, according to a report today from the Lake Carriers’ Association. However, shipments trailed the month’s 5-year average by 5 percent.
Shipments from US ports totaled 5.3 million tons in August, an increase of 7.7 percent compared to a year ago. However, loadings at Canadian terminals dipped by 23 percent to 709,000 tons.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 32,851,570 tons, a decrease of 2 percent compared to the same point in 2015. Year-over-year, loadings at US ports are up by 270,000 tons, or 0.9 percent, but shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway have slipped by 955,000 tons, or 21.6 percent.