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The Lake Carriers' Association (LCA) announced Friday that drybulk cargo shipments totaled 93.8 million tons in 2011, an increase of 5.75 percent compared to 2010.
 
Iron ore cargos for the steel industry increased 12.4 percent compared to a year ago and outperformed their five-year average by 12.7 percent.  However, coal loadings slipped by 6.0 percent compared to 2010, and even more-- 14.0 percent--compared to the trade's five-year average.
 
Limestone cargos, on the other hand, rebounded by a million tons, or 5.0 percent compared to 2010.  However, shipments of aggregate and fluxstone still trailed their five-year average by 8.0 percent.