US-Flag Lakes Float Down 6% in September

US-flag Great Lakes freighters (Lakers) carried more cargo compared to August 2012 but less than the volume recorded a year ago.

The Lake Carriers' Association report an increase of 20,579 tons compared to August, but 6 percent less than recorded volume a year ago.

The September float was also 2.2 percent below the month’s 5-year average.
 
Iron ore cargos for the steel industry totaled 4,351,654 tons in September, a decrease of 5.1 percent compared to a year ago.  Coal cargos fell to 2.1 million tons, or almost 11 percent compared to September 2011.
 
Aggregate and fluxstone for construction and steelmaking slipped 5.3 percent to 2.5 million tons percent.
 
Through September U.S.-flag cargos stand at 63,849,618 tons, a decrease of 2.1 percent compared to the same point in 2011, but a marginal increase compared to the 5-year average for the first three quarters.  Iron ore cargos are down by 2.4 percent compared to a year ago.  Coal has slipped by almost 18 percent, but limestone cargos are up by 11 percent, or 1.7 million tons.

Lake Carriers’ Association represents 17 American companies that operate 57 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes that carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, as well as salt, sand and grain.  Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 115 million tons of cargo per year.