The Lake Carriers' Association (LCA) reported Monday that iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 6.1 million tons in April, reflecting an increase of 6.1 percent over shipments in April 2011. Loadings were also nearly 23 percent ahead of the month's five year average.
Shipments from US ports totaled 5.4 million tons, an increase of 5.7 percent compared to a year ago. That total included 435,000 tons transshipped to Quebec for final delivery overseas. Loadings at Canadian ports rose 9.7 percent.
Through April the iron ore trade stands at 11.9 million tons, an increase of roughly 11.5 percent compared to a year ago and 28.2 percent better than the five year average for the January-April timeframe.
The LCA previous reported that coal shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 2.2 million tons in April, showing a decrease of 3.8 percent compared to a year ago. However, when compared to its five year average, the trade was down nearly 27 percent.