According to a report from the Lake Carriers' Association, shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 6 million tons in October, an increase of 9.6 percent compared to a year ago. The October ore float was also 8.8 percent ahead of the month's 5-year average, but trailed September by about 3 percent.
Shipments from US ports totaled 5.3 million tons, an increase of almost 16 percent compared to a year ago. The October total included 183,000 tons shipped to Québec City for loading into oceangoing vessels and delivery overseas. Year-to-date overseas exports from US Great Lakes ports total 2,516,000 tons. Through October of last year, overseas exports from U.S. ports totaled 3,470,000 tons.
Shipments from Canadian ports to Great Lakes destinations totaled 659,000 tons in October, a decrease of nearly 31 percent compared to a year ago.
Year-to-date, the Lakes iron ore trade stands at 47.6 million tons, a decrease of 4.8 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings are 2.8 percent below the long-term average for the January-October timeframe.