According to the Lake Carriers' Association, iron ore shipments on the US Great Lakes fell in October, dropping 11 percent from September to 5.7 million nt. Nonetheless, year-on-year iron ore shipments were still up 13 percent. Shipments from US ports totaled 5.1 million nt, an increase of 18 percent compared to a year ago. However, loadings at Canadian ports slipped 16.3 percent from a year ago. Through October the iron ore trade stands at 48.8 million nt, an increase of nearly 11 percent compared to year ago levels.
Additionally, shipments of coal on the US Great Lakes totaled 3 million net tons (nt) in October, an 11 percent decrease from September and 9.6 percent less than in October 2010. The trade slumped even more--20.7 percent--when compared to the five-year average for October. Year-to-date, the coal trade stands at 22.1 million nt, a decrease of 14.1 percent compared to a year ago.