Great Lakes Limestone Trade Surges in June

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,052,994 tons in June, an increase of more than 17 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported.

This June also represented the first month in which loadings topped 4 million tons since July 2015.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.2 million tons, an increase of 16.2 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 815,000 tons, an increase of 22 percent.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 9.3 million tons, an increase of 5.9 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 7.7 million tons, an increase of 8.2 percent.  Shipments from Ontario quarries total 1.6 million tons, a decrease of about three boatloads.