Great Lakes Coal Trade Down 11 Percent in October
CLEVELAND – Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.7 million tons in October, a decrease of 11.6 percent compared to September, and a drop of 11 percent compared to a year ago. Compared to the month’s 5-year average, loadings were down 25.3 percent. Loadings at Lake Superior ports rose by 5.5 percent, but shipments from Lake Michigan and Lake Erie terminals decreased by 33.4 and 26.1 percent respectively.
There were no overseas shipments from Superior, Wisconsin, in October. Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 20.2 million tons, a decrease of 8.5 percent compared to a year ago, but loadings are nearly 26 percent behind the 5-year average for the JanuaryOctober timeframe.