The Lake Carriers' Association announced Wednesday that US-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 9,964,128 net tons (nt) of cargo in November, a decrease of 5.5 percent from October, and a slight dip-53,965 nt-compared to a year ago. The November "float" was also 8.3 percent below the month's 5-year average.
Iron ore cargos in November increased 14.5 percent compared to a year ago, but coal loadings were down 11 percent.
Year-to-date US-flag cargos stand at 81,262,630 nt, an increase of 34.6 percent compared to a year ago, but 9.4 percent behind the 5-year average for the January-November timeframe. Iron ore cargos are up 84.7 percent, while coal is 2.2 percent ahead of last year's pace.