Shipments of iron ore from US ports on the Great Lakes totaled 5.8 million tons in September, a decrease of 1.8 percent compared to a year ago, according to a report from the Lake Carriers’ Association. However, shipments outperformed the month’s five-year average by 1.8 percent.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 38.6 million tons, a decrease of less than 1 percent compared to the same point in 2018.
Through September iron ore loadings are 4.8 percent ahead of their five-year average for the first three quarters.