The following is the text of a news release from the Lake Carriers' Association:
(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.7 million tons in November, a decrease of 4.4 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargoes also trailed the month’s long-term average by 9.2 percent. The trade was impacted by weather in November, with many vessels anchoring or taking longer routes to avoid heavy weather.
Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 25.7 million tons, a decrease of 2.4 percent compared to the same point in 2013. The gap has narrowed considerably since the spring when heavy ice delayed full-scale resumption of limestone loadings. At the end of April, shipments were down 54 percent. Even come the end of July the trade was 6 percent off last year’s pace.
U.S. ports: Calcite, Mich., Cedarville, Mich., Drummond Island, Mich., Kellys Island, Ohio, Marblehead, Ohio, Port Inland, Mich., and Presque Isle, Mich. Kellys Island ceased shipping in fall 2009. Canadian ports: Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island and Smelter Bay (all Ontario).
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 17 American companies that operate 56 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes and carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, as well as salt, sand and grain. Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 115 million tons of cargo per year. More information is available at www.lcaships.com.
