On Monday, the Lake Carriers' Association reported that US-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 9.9 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in June, virtually unchanged from May, but 1.3 percent below a year ago and the month's five-year average.
Iron ore cargos for the steel industry slipped 3.1 percent compared to a year ago. Aggregate and fluxstone for construction and steelmaking rose 13.1 percent, but coal for power generation and steel production fell 16 percent, in part because of a lengthy weather-related outage at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, Wisconsin.
Through June, US-flag cargos stand at 34.3 million tons, an increase of 2 percent compared to the same point in 2011, and 3.5 percent ahead of the five-year average for the first half of the year. Iron ore cargos are up 3.5 percent. Limestone loadings are up nearly 15 percent, but coal has slipped by 16.2 percent.