Great Lakes Limestone Trade Dips 8%

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.3 million tons in May, a decrease of 8 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported, adding that shipments were also 3 percent below the month’s long-term average.

Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 2.8 million tons, a decrease of 9 percent compared to a year ago.  However, loadings at Canadian quarries were a virtual carbon copy of a year ago.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 4.2 million tons, a decrease of 25.3 percent compared to a year ago.  That decrease largely reflects how severely the trade was impacted by the heavy ice formations in March and April.  No stone moved in March, and April’s total was down nearly 50 percent from a year ago