Great Lakes/Seaway Iron Ore Trade Slid 0.5% in 2016

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 54.1 million tons in 2016, a decrease of 0.5 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). Shipments also trailed the trade’s long-term average by 8.3 percent.

Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 48.9 million tons, an increase of 3.8 percent, LCA said. Four ports saw shipments rise over 2015 levels, but three ports registered decreases.

Loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway totaled 5.2 million tons, a decrease of 28.3 percent. Both ports saw shipments fall compared to 2015.