Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down 5.3 Percent in 2013 Early and Harsh Start to Winter Has Major Impact
CLEVELAND—Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 58.3 million tons in 2013, a decrease of 5.3 percent from 2012. While the trade had been slightly behind 2012’s pace through November, the gap grew significantly when an early and harsh start to winter limited shipments to 5.1 million tons in December, a decrease of 20 percent compared to a year ago. There were weather-related delays at loadings docks and vessels were either slowed by or beset in heavy ice.