U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Carriage

U.S.-flag dry-bulk carriers hauled 10,257,765 net tons of cargo on the Great Lakes in April, an increase of 26.3 percent compared to a year ago. While the increase reflects improving demand for dry-bulk cargos, it must be remembered that heavy ice slowed navigation a year ago. More accurate is the 5-year comparison, and in that regard, this April's total represents an increase of 6.9 percent.

All the major trades experienced increases from a year ago ranging from 4.9 percent (iron ore) to 73.7 percent (limestone). Again, the extreme ice conditions of a year ago skew the comparison, but on a 5-year average, stone and coal are still up significantly.

For the year, the U.S.-flag float stands at 18.3 million net tons, an increase of 56 percent compared to the same point in 2003. The increase partially reflects the extension of the closing date for the Soo Locks to January 24 that allowed additional cargos of iron ore and western coal to move in January. However, even when compared to the 5-year average for the January-April timeframe, the U.S.-flag fleet's float is still more than 20 percent ahead of the pace.

U.S.-Flag Dry-Bulk Carriage on the Great Lakes
April 2000-2004 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)
	April	April	April	April	April	5-Year
Commodity	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	Average
Iron Ore
Direct Shipments	5,791,735	5,028,052	3,810,015	4,098,552	4,436,037	4,632,878
Transshipments	624,282	687,899	0	366,580	249,398	385,632
Total - Iron Ore	6,416,017	5,715,951	3,810,015	4,465,132	4,685,435	5,018,510
Coal
Lake Superior	1,131,284	1,213,608	1,105,148	1,037,838	1,217,036	1,140,983
Lake Michigan	224,501	222,668	216,962	182,364	390,191	247,337
Lake Erie	500,028	368,831	477,992	200,951	512,068	411,974
Total - Coal	1,855,813	1,805,107	1,800,102	1,421,153	2,119,295	1,800,294
Limestone	2,300,264	2,302,117	2,289,291	1,733,241	3,011,366	2,327,256
Cement	301,949	321,373	270,123	311,802	373,996	315,849
Salt	167,362	101,920	107,467	133,966	13,551	104,853
Sand	0	0	0	42,949	39,502	16,490
Grain	0	32,165	15,677	14,362	14,620	15,365
Totals	11,041,405	10,278,633	8,292,675	8,122,605	10,257,765	9,598,617

U.S.-Flag Carriage Year-To-Date 2000-2004 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)
						5-Year
Commodity	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	Average
Iron Ore
Direct Shipments	10,048,958	7,496,406	6,296,389	6,994,785	9,847,948	8,136,897
Transshipments	1,584,174	1,225,360	0	585,198	885,724	856,091
Total - Iron Ore	11,633,132	8,721,766	6,296,389	7,579,983	10,733,672	8,992,988
Coal
Lake Superior	1,786,465	1,834,965	1,402,544	1,110,914	1,925,312	1,612,040
Lake Michigan	357,158	381,613	352,703	256,548	666,670	402,938
Lake Erie	922,642	905,003	805,493	245,473	756,477	727,018
Total - Coal	3,066,265	3,121,581	2,560,740	1,612,935	3,348,459	2,741,996
Limestone	2,615,681	2,378,984	2,465,509	1,757,486	3,457,734	2,535,079
Cement	676,017	627,165	619,725	531,268	636,377	618,110
Salt	167,362	145,153	119,625	184,178	38,317	130,927
Sand	0	0	0	42,949	39,502	16,490
Grain	0	32,165	15,677	14,362	14,620	15,365
Totals	18,158,457	15,026,814	12,077,665	11,723,161	18,268,681	15,050,956

Note: Starting in 2004, the tug/barge CLEVELAND/CLEVELAND ROCKS (Laken Shipping, L.L.C.) is included in this survey. The vessel carries limestone. Formerly operated as the KELLSTONE, its totals for previous years are unavailable.

Published: May 20,2004.