Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.3 million tons in May, an increase of 3.1 percent compared to a year ago, and just about on par with the month’s 5-year average, according to a report from the Lake Carriers’ Association.
Shipments from US Great Lakes ports totaled 5.9 million tons in May, an increase of 2.4 percent. Loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway totaled 443,000 tons, an increase of 13.7 percent.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 15.7 million tons, a decrease of 7.6 percent compared to the same point in 2017. Year-over-year, loadings at US ports total 14.1 million tons, a decrease of 9 percent. Shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway have increased slightly to 1.64 million tons.