The Lake Carriers' Association reported Tuesday that US-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 9.8 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in October, a 3 percent decline from September on account of weather-related delays during the months. Cargos were still up 3.2 percent from October 2010.
Iron ore cargos were up 12.8 percent in October compared to year-ago levels while limestone cargos inched higher and coal shipments fell 10 percent from last year.
Year-to-date cargos on the Great Lakes totaled 75 million tons at the end of October, an increase of 3.8 percent over the same period a year ago.