The Lake Carriers' Association said Wednesday that shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 3,049,705 tons in September, an increase of 6.3 percent compared to August, but a drop of 10.1 percent compared to a year ago. Compared to the month's five-year average, loadings were down 14.5 percent.
Overseas shipments from Superior, Wisconsin, continued in September. Coal shipped to Québec City for reloading into oceangoing vessels totaled 192,000 tons. For the season, the overseas trade from Superior Midwest Energy Terminal totals 1,173,000 tons.
Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 17.5 million tons, a decrease of 8.1 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings are nearly 26 percent behind the five-year average for the first three quarters of the year.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, iron ore shipments on the US Great Lakes totaled 5.9 million tons in September, a decrease of 7.3 percent compared to August, and 7 percent below the level of a year ago.