Shipments of iron ore, coal and stone from U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports totaled 16.9 million net tons in June, the highest monthly total recorded this season, and an increase of 6.8 percent compared to last year.
Iron ore loadings at Great Lakes ports totaled 7.6 million tons, essentially unchanged from a year ago.
Coal shipments totaled 4.6 million tons, an increase of 13.8 percent. Stone loadings at U.S. and Canadian ports neared 4.7 million tons, an increase of 13.7 percent.
For the season, shipments of iron ore, coal and stone stand at 49.4 million tons, an increase of 11.2 percent. All three trades are experiencing significant increases compared to 1996's end-of-June tally.
| Commodity | June 1997 | June 1996 | Season to Date 1997 |
Season to Date 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRON ORE | ||||
| Great Lakes | 6,188,954 | 6,386,733 | 20,291,523 | 19,083,223 |
| Eastern Canada | 1,405,738 | 1,254,739 | 3,960,711 | 4,233,541 |
| Total - Iron Ore | 7,593,792 | 7,641,472 | 24,252,234 | 23,316,764 |
| COAL | ||||
| Lake Erie | 2,202,532 | 2,107,835 | 6,719,347 | 5,431,204 |
| Lake Michigan | 427,157 | 185,087 | 765,210 | 473,525 |
| Lake Superior - U.S. | 1,829,889 | 1,561,428 | 4,706,926 | 3,886,203 |
| Lake Superior - Canada | 136,620 | 185,633 | 385,877 | 535,726 |
| Total - Coal | 4,596,198 | 4,039,983 | 12,577,360 | 10,326,658 |
| LIMESTONE, GYPSUM | ||||
| U.S. Ports | 4,103,169 | 3,577,009 | 10,849,672 | 9,349,825 |
| Canadian Ports | 567,503 | 533,164 | 1,706,158 | 1,402,683 |
| Total - Stone | 4,670,672 | 4,110,173 | 12,555,830 | 10,752,508 |
| Total All Commodities | 16,860,662 | 15,791,628 | 49,385,424 | 44,395,930 |
Note: The above totals are carried almost exclusively by U.S.-Flag and Canadian-Flag lakers. Third-Flag vessels (i.e., salties) occasionally load coal for export overseas (167,000 tons in 1996).
The ports reporting cargo movement are as follows:
Iron Ore: Minnesota - Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay and Taconite Harbor; Wisconsin - Superior; Michigan - Marquette and Escanaba.
Coal: Ohio - Toledo, Sandusky, Ashtabula and Conneaut; Illinois - South Chicago; Wisconsin - Superior; Ontario - Thunder Bay.
Limestone and Gypsum: Michigan - Calcite, Cedarville, Presque Isle, Port Inland, Drummond Island, Alabaster and Port Gypsum; Ohio - Marblehead; Ontario - Manitoulin Island, Smelter Bay, Bruce Mines and Port Colbourne.