Lakes Carriers Association News

The St. Lawrence Seaway’s 62nd navigation season kicked off on Tuesday with the transit of the Canadian-flagged cement carrier NACC Argonaut through Lock 8 on the Welland Canal.Then, in the early hours on Wednesday morning, first U.S.-flag commercial vessel transited the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., signaling the start of the U.S. fleet's 2020 sailing season.The Seaway’s Montreal / Lake Ontario section will open on April 1 this year, eight days after the opening of the Welland Canal.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.1 million tons in May, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to a year ago, the Lakes Carriers' Association (LCA) reported. However, shipments trailed the month’s 5-year average by 5 percent. Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 5.7 million tons in May, an increase of 5 percent. All of those tons originated at Lake Superior ports. Escanaba, Mich., on the north shore of Lake Michigan, shipped its last iron ore load on April 18.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3,348,040 tons in July, a decrease of 18 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lakes Carriers’ Association (LCA). July’s loadings were also 14 percent below the month’s five-year average. Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 2.6 million tons, a decrease of 26 percent compared to a year ago., while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 760,000 tons, an increase of 35 percent compared to a year ago, LCA said. Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 13.1 million tons, a decrease of 6 percent compared to a year ago.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.9 million tons in November, a decrease of 17 percent compared to a year ago, according to latest figures from the Lakes Carriers’ Association (LCA). Shipments were down 12 percent from the month’s five-year average. Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 4.2 million tons in November, a decrease of 21.6 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments from Canadian ports totaled 710,000 tons, an increase of 29.3 percent, LCA said. Through November, the Lakes/Seaway ore trade stands at 49.3 million tons, a decrease of 7 percent compared to the same point in 2014 and the five-year average for the January-November timeframe. Loadings at U.S.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3 million tons in November, an increase of nearly 11 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lakes Carriers’ Association (LCA). The trade also outperformed the month’s five-year average by 2.5 percent.   Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 2.5 million tons in November, an increase of 11.1 percent compared to a year ago, while loadings out of Canadian quarries rose 9.3 percent to 500,000 tons, LCA said.   Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 27.5 million tons, an increase of 7 percent compared to the same point in 2014, and 4.3 percent better than the five-year average for the January-November timeframe. Shipments from U.S. ports are up 7.4 percent, and loadings out of Canadian quarries are up 4.9 percent.

Shipments of limestone from U.S. and Canadian quarries on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in August, an increase of 4 percent compared to a year ago, and even more, 10 percent, when compared to the month’s long-term average, according to the Lakes Carriers’ Association (LCA). According to LCA’s latest figures, loadings from U.S. quarries in Michigan and Ohio approached 3.3 million tons, an increase of 6 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments from Canadian quarries in Ontario dipped by a couple boatloads. Year-to-date, the Lakes limestone trade stands at 17,857,335 tons, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same point in 2014. Loadings out of U.S. quarries are 11 percent ahead of last year’s pace.  Shipments from Canadian quarries have surged by 23 percent.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.2 million tons in June, a decrease of 6 percent compared to May, and nearly 5 percent below the level of a year ago, the Lakes Carriers' Association (LCA) announced. Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 5.5 million tons, a decrease of 7 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian ports in the Seaway totaled 695,000, an increase of 19 percent, but in terms of tons, the trade rose perhaps five cargos for the month.