Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 975,000 tons in March, a decrease of 39 percent compared to a year ago, according to a report today from the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). Loadings also trailed the month’s 5-year average by more than 26 percent.
The decrease reflects the lack of adequate icebreaking resources on the Great Lakes, the LCA said, adding that ice fields in Whitefish Bay at the eastern end of Lake Superior and in the Straits of Mackinac were very thick, but two of the US Coast Guard’s icebreakers have been in need of extensive repairs this spring and the government shutdown did delay some work.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 3.4 million tons, an increase of 9.5 percent. The LCA said ice conditions in January were less challenging.