Great Lakes Iron Ore, Limestone Trades Rise in October

Iron ore and limestone shipments rose 32.4% and 8.3% respectively in October, according to the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA). 

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.5 million tons in October, an increase of 32.4% compared to a year ago. Shipments were above the month’s five-year average by 7.7%.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 42.9 million tons, an increase of 32.7% compared to the same point in 2020.

Through October iron ore loadings are 4.4% above their five-year average for the January-October timeframe.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in October, an increase of 8.3% compared to a year ago.  Limestone cargos were also above the month’s five-year average by 1.6%.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.9 million tons, an increase of 13.2%. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 638,517 tons, a decrease of 9.9%.

Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 24.6 million tons, an increase of 9% compared to 2020. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total nearly 19.4 million tons, an increase of 8.3%. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 5.2 million tons, an increase 11.6%.