Approximately 80 percent of the cargos carried by U.S.-Flag lakers are destined for a Great Lakes basin steel mill. The Great
Lakes states account for more than 70 percent of the nation’s steelmaking capacity. Indiana is the largest steel-producing state
in the nation. Ohio is ranked second in terms of production. Great Lakes steel mills employ approximately 90,000 men and
women.
The production of one ton of steel requires roughly 1.3 tons of iron ore, plus quantities of fluxstone (limestone) and coal.
U.S.-Flag lakers carry iron ore mined in Minnesota and Michigan. These mines generate direct employment for roughly 8,000
men and women.
Limestone (fluxstone and aggregate) for the steel and construction industries is one of the Lakes' “Big 3” cargos. Fluxstone is used as a purifying agent in the steelmaking process. Aggregate is used in a number of ways - as a base for highways and in other construction projects.
Seven of the eight U.S. stone loading ports are located in Michigan. The eighth is in Ohio. The construction industry also relies
on U.S.-Flag lakers to deliver cement loaded in Alpena and Charlevoix, Michigan, to distribution terminals on all five Lakes.
Coal for power generation is the third-largest commodity carried by U.S.-Flag lakers. The coal trade is divided into two
segments. Eastern coal is mined in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. Western coal is mined in
Montana and Wyoming. Power generating plants are found on all five Great Lakes.
Be it the steel in your car... the coal that produces the electricity that lights your home... the stone in the foundation for your
driveway... the salt that deices your roads in winter... the wheat in your bread... the heating oil that warms your house in
winter... all these products and more criss-cross the Great Lakes safety and efficiently in U.S.-Flag Great Lakes vessels.
Updated 9/27/01