U.S.-Flag Lakes Float Down 6 Percent in September
CLEVELAND—U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (“lakers”) carried 9.5 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in September, an increase of 20,579 tons compared to August, but 6 percent less than the volume recorded 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.