Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.95 million tons in November, which is an 18.8 percent increase compared with November 2016, reports the Lake Carriers’ Association. In addition, November’s loadings were 6.4 percent ahead of the month’s five-year average.
Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.5 million tons, which is a 21.2 percent increased compared with the same time period one year ago. However, shipments from U.S. quarries in November 2016 were at their lowest level in more than 10 years.
Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 430,000 tons in November, which is an increase of one cargo shipment in a mid-sized Great Lakes freighter, compared with the same time period last year.
Year-to-date, limestone trade stands at 26.7 million tons, a 5.8 percent increase compared with the same time period in 2016. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 22 million tons, which is a 7.6 percent increase compared with the same time period last year, and shipments from Ontario quarries total 4.7 million tons, a 2.2 percent decrease.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies that operate 49 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes and carry the raw materials such as iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, and sand and grain.
