Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.7 million tons in October, a decrease of 11.6 percent compared to September, and a drop of 11 percent compared to a year ago.
Compared to the month’s 5-year average, loadings were down 25.3 percent.
Loadings at Lake Superior ports rose by 5.5 percent, but shipments from Lake Michigan and Lake Erie terminals decreased by 33.4 and 26.1 percent respectively.
There were no overseas shipments from Superior, Wisconsin, in October.
Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 20.2 million tons, a decrease of 8.5 percent compared to a year ago, but loadings are nearly 26 percent behind the 5-year average for the January-October timeframe.
Lake Carriers’ Association represents 17 American companies that operate 57 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes and carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, as well as salt, sand and grain. Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 115 million tons of cargo per year. Those cargos support more than 103,000 jobs with an average wage of $47,000.