Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.1 million net tons in April, a 69 percent increase compared to the same period a year ago.
Loadings also surpassed the month’s five-year average by 38 percent.
Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 1.8 million tons, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA), also a 69 percent increase. Shipments from Canadian quarries added up to 289,737 tons of limestone, an increase of 64 percent.
On the year, the Great Lakes limestone trade stands at 2.4 million tons, an increase of nearly 60 percent compared to 2018. Shipments from U.S. ports increased 60 percent to 2.1 million tons, and the year-to-date total for U.S. ports is 54,046 tons shipped in March and 214,025 tons loaded in January.
According to LCA, no limestone was moved from Canadian quarries during the first quarter of 2019, thus the April total is also the year-to-date total for Canadian ports.
LCA represents 13 American companies that operate 45 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes and carry the raw materials, including iron ore, flux stone, aggregate, cement, coal, sand and grain.
