Great Lakes Ore Trade Down 6.6 Percent in May
CLEVELAND—Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 6.4 million tons in May, an increase of 15.1 percent compared to April, but a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings also trailed the month’s long-term average by 4.8 percent.
Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 5.8 million tons, a decrease of 2.9 percent compared to a year ago. The May total included 380,000 tons shipped to Québec City for loading into oceangoing vessels and delivery overseas.
Shipments from Canadian ports totaled 556,000 tons, a decrease of 33.5 percent compared to a year ago.
Year-to-date, the Lakes ore trade stands at 17.2 million tons, a decrease of 8.6 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings are 3.1 percent below the long-term average for the January-May timeframe