October 09, 2024
The Lake Carriers' Association reports that shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.8 million tons in September, an increase of 9.4 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargos were also above the month's 5-year average by 4.5 percent.
Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.1 million tons, an increase of 10.6 percent from 2023. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 678,580 tons, an increase of 4.2 percent.
Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 20.8 million tons, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries increased 2 percent to 16.7 million tons; while shipments from Ontario quarries increased less than 1 percent from 2023 to 4.1 million tons.
Shipments of iron ore from U.S. ports on the Great Lakes totaled 5.5 million tons in September, a decrease of 1.9 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were above the month's 5-year average by 6.6 percent.
Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 36.5 million tons, a decrease of less than 1 percent compared to the same point in 2023.
Through September iron ore loadings are 7.3 percent above their 5-year average for the first three quarters of the year.
Source: Lake Carriers' Association