reat Lakes/Seaway Iron Ore Trade Down 6.3 Percent in April
CLEVELAND – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5.5 million tons in April, a decrease of 6.3 percent compared to a year ago. However, shipments topped the month’s 5-year average by nearly 15 percent.
Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 5.1 million tons in April, a decrease of 4.5 percent. This is the first April since perhaps the 1850s that no iron ore was shipped from Escanaba, Michigan. The mine that shipped through Escanaba has been permanently idled. This means all the iron ore shipped to U.S. steel mills in April had to transit the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The MacArthur Lock is undergoing maintenance so has yet to open for this season.