U.S.-Flag Lakers Move an Extra 470,000 Tons of Cargo Because Soo Locks Stayed Open Three More Days in January
CLEVELAND—U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (“lakers”) carried 3.4 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in January, an increase of 46 percent over a year ago. The January float was also 18 percent better than the month’s 5-year average.
One reason the fleet performed so strongly was demand for iron ore necessitated extending the season through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan by three days. The January 18 closing allowed U.S.-flag lakers to carry an extra 380,000 tons of iron ore. The three extra days of navigation also allowed 90,000 tons of coal to move on the Lakes.