Delays from Hurricane Sandy Impact U.S.-Flag Lakers in October
CLEVELAND—U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (“lakers”) carried 8.6 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in October, a decrease of 12.3 percent compared to a year ago. The storms related to Hurricane Sandy played a role in the decrease. U.S.-flag lakers collectively lost about 2,000 steaming hours waiting out the heavy weather.
The October float was also 14.5 percent below the month’s 5-year average. Iron ore cargos for the steel industry totaled 3.8 million tons in October, a decrease of 11.5 percent compared to a year ago. At 2 million tons, coal cargos were down only marginally, but loadings of aggregate and fluxstone fell almost 20 percent to 2.6 million