Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.7 million tons in August, an increase of 10.1 percent compared to a year ago, according to a report today from the Lake Carriers’ Association. Shipments also bettered the month’s 5-year average by 6.2 percent.
Shipments from US Great Lakes ports totaled 6.3 million tons in August, an increase of 18 percent compared to a year ago. However, loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway totaled 360,000 tons, a drop of nearly 50 percent.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 36.8 million tons, an increase of 12.2 percent compared to the same point in 2016. Year-over-year, loadings at US ports total 33.8 million tons, an increase of 15.2 percent. Shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway total 3 million tons, a decrease of 13.3 percent.