Great Lakes Coal Trade Up 26% in July

Coal shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 4,096,149 net tons in July, an increase of 5.7% over June, and an increase of 26% compared to a year ago.  However, loadings were down 3.4% compared to the month’s 5-year average.

Shipments from Lake Superior ports increased 16.8 percent compared to a year ago, but were up only 2.6% compared to July’s 5-year average.  Loadings in Chicago increased by 160% compared to a year ago, but basically mirrored the month’s 5-year average.  The coal trade out of Lake Erie increased 29.6% compared to a year ago, but was 16% off the 5-year average.

Year-to-date coal shipments stand at 14.8 million tons, an increase of 3.7% compared to a year ago.  However, a year ago the total was still depressed by the recession.  A better measure is the 5-year average, and in that regard, 2010 loadings are 22.6% off the pace.