According to the Lake Carriers Association, shipping on the Great Lakes in March totaled 2.55 million tons. This increase of over four times the level of March 2009 is an indication that the steel industry is indeed recovering along with the economy in general.
The coal dock in Sandusky, Ohio, has been shipping all month, and Lake Huron received its first freighter of the season on Tuesday, delivering a load of limestone, which is used in the steelmaking process. The same freighter is scheduled to pick up coal for a steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan.