Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.1 million tons in November, a decrease of one load in a 1,000-foot-long US-flag laker, according to a report today from the Lake Carriers’ Association. However, shipments outpaced the month’s 5-year average by nearly 4 percent.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 49.8 million tons, a decrease of 1.7 percent compared to the same point in 2017. The shortfall has been decreasing over the course of the shipping season, the report said. At the end of April, iron ore shipments were down nearly 14 percent. Through November, iron ore loadings are 6.9 percent ahead of their 5-year average for that timeframe.