Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3,991,471 tons in August, an increase of 18.6 percent compared to a year ago, according to a report today from the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). August’s loadings of the steelmaking material were also nearly 12 percent ahead of the month’s 5-year average.
Loadings from US quarries totaled 3,358,064 tons, an increase of 21.4 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 633,407 tons, a slight increase over a year ago.
Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 16,626,332 tons, an increase of 0.7 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings out of Michigan and Ohio quarries total 13,642,900 tons, an increase of 3.4 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 2,983,432 tons, a decrease of 10 percent.