Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down in September

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5,258,269 tons in September, a decrease of 5.6 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported. Shipments trailed the month’s five-year average by even more, 15.3 percent.

Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 4,916,787 tons in September, an increase of 60,544 tons, or roughly one load in a 1,000-foot-long U.S.-flag laker. However, loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway fell 52 percent to just 341,482 tons.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 38,109,839 tons, a decrease of 2.5 percent compared to the same point in 2015. Year-over-year, loadings at U.S. ports are up by 330,000 tons, or 0.97 percent, but shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway have slipped by 1,326,000 tons, or 25.8 percent.