Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.9 million tons in November, a decrease of 1.7 percent compared to October, and 11.4 percent below the level of a year ago.
The November stone float was also 12 percent off the month’s 5-year average.
Shipments from U.S. ports fell 12.3 percent in November. Loadings at Canadian quarries slipped by 7 percent. Shipments were impacted in the first days of the month by some delays related to Hurricane Sandy.
Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 26,350,706 tons, a decrease of 330,000 tons or 1.3 percent compared to a year ago. Compared to the 5-year average for the January-November timeframe, the trade is down 1,655,000 tons, or 5.9 percent.