The Lake Carriers' Association announced Wednesday that US-flag Great Lakes freighters carried 88.7 million net tons (nt) of dry-bulk cargo in 2010, a 33.4 percent increase over 2009. Shipments were still nearly 10 percent off the industry's five-year average.
The most significant year-over-year increase came from iron ore cargos. Iron ore shipments totaled 42 million nt in 2010, a 75 percent increase compared with 2009 shipments. 2009, however, was an unusually slow year on the Great Lakes, as iron ore shipments from ports in 2009 fell to their lowest level since 1938.