Shipments of iron ore, coal and stone from U.S. and Canadian Lakes ports totaled 10.85 million tons in April, a decrease of 16 percent from the same period in 1995. Thick ice marred the resumption of the major dry-bulk trades.
Iron ore shipments totaled 6.2 million tons, a decrease of 8 percent. Coal loadings totaled 2.25 million tons, a decrease of 23 percent. Despite a slight increase at Canadian stone docks, the stone trade fell 26 percent to 2.3 million tons.
A new Canadian stone quarry begins operations in 1996 and will be represented in this survey. Ontario Trap Rock's quarry and shipping dock are located at Bruce Mines, Ontario.
| Commodity | April 1996 | April 1995 | Season to Date 1996 |
Season to Date 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRON ORE | ||||
| Great Lakes | 4,963,132 | 5,626,479 | 6,024,897 | 7,611,585 |
| Eastern Canada | 1,284,965 | 1,159,664 | 1,417,628 | 1,300,700 |
| Total - Iron Ore | 6,248,097 | 6,786,143 | 7,442,524 | 8,912,285 |
| COAL | ||||
| Lake Erie | 1,276,348 | 1,344,838 | 1,571,418 | 1,579,291 |
| Lake Michigan | 76,621 | 198,270 | 76,621 | 212,926 |
| Lake Superior - U.S. | 788,159 | 1,200,092 | 788,159 | 1,587,013 |
| Lake Superior - Canada | 118,329 | 195,055 | 118,329 | 195,055 |
| Total - Coal | 2,259,457 | 2,938,255 | 2,554,527 | 3,574,285 |
| LIMESTONE, GYPSUM | ||||
| U.S. Ports | 1,936,454 | 2,837,471 | 2,025,095 | 3,077,946 |
| Canadian Ports | 406,346 | 340,304 | 406,3460 | 364,318 |
| Total - Stone | 2,342,800 | 3,177,775 | 2,431,441 | 3,442,264 |
| Total All Commodities | 10,850,354 | 12,902,173 | 12,428,492 | 15,928,834 |
Note: The above totals are carried almost exclusively by U.S.-Flag and Canadian-Flag lakers. Third-Flag vessels occasionally load coal for export overseas (150,000 tons in 1995).