Lakes Ore Down 19 Percent in August
CLEVELAND — Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5.9 million tons in August, a decrease of 19 percent compared to a year ago. High levels of steel imports continued to depress the trade, but another factor was that three of the largest U.S.-flag lakers were undergoing repairs during the month. These vessels have a combined per-trip capacity of more than 200,000 tons.