The Lake Carriers' Association reported Wednesday that US-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 9.5 million net tons (nt) of dry-bulk cargo is May, up 15.6 percent over April, but down 3.4 percent compared to May 2010.
Iron ore cargos were down 3.7 percent in May over May 2010, and coal for power generation and steel production remained virtually unchanged. For the first five months of 2011, US-flag cargos stand at 23.6 million tons, up 5 percent over the same point in 2010. Iron ore and coal are up 6 and 10.3 percent, respectively, compared to a year ago, and aggregate and fluxstone for the construction and steel industries slipped by 8 percent.
Total iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 6.1 million nt May, up 6.5 percent over April but down 2.6 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from US ports totaled 5,449,808 nt, down 2.9 percent over May 2010, and loadings at Canadian ports were little changed in May. Through May, the iron ore trade stands at 16.8 million nt, an increase of 6.6 percent compared to a year ago.