The avalanche of dumped foreign steel and the strong dollar finally came home to roost on the Great Lakes in August. Cargo movement in U.S.-Flag "lakers" and from U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports fell below the previous year's level for the first non-weather-related reason in at least two shipping seasons.
Shipments of iron ore, coal and stone from U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports totaled 17.6 million net tons in August, a decrease of 3.8 percent compared to the corresponding period last year. The Great Lakes iron ore trade decreased 6.1 percent to 7.8 million tons, but for the season, totals 42.4 million tons, an increase of 6.3 percent.
Coal shipments from U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports totaled 4,754,231 net tons, a decrease of 3.3 percent. Since the mid-March reopening of the coal trade, loadings stand at 23.9 million tons, an increase of 7.5 percent. Stone loadings were virtually unchanged in August, and for the season, are 6.1 percent ahead of last year's pace (23.9 m.t. versus 22.5 m.t.).
| Commodity | August 1998 | August 1997 | Season to Date 1998 |
Season to Date 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRON ORE | ||||
| Great Lakes | 6,490,309 | 6,965,467 | 35,122,507 | 33,492,153 |
| Eastern Canada | 1,338,163 | 1,376,395 | 7,271,391 | 6,385,612 |
| Total - Iron Ore | 7,828,472 | 8,341,862 | 42,393,897 | 39,877,765 |
| COAL | ||||
| Lake Erie | 2,648,906 | 2,767,137 | 12,949,296 | 12,046,441 |
| Lake Michigan | 291,490 | 338,214 | 1,359,927 | 1,322,784 |
| Lake Superior - U.S. | 1,656,188 | 1,750,855 | 9,068,816 | 8,302,548 |
| Lake Superior - Canada | 157,647 | 61,396 | 563,529 | 591,912 |
| Total - Coal | 4,754,231 | 4,917,602 | 23,941,568 | 22,263,685 |
| LIMESTONE, GYPSUM | ||||
| U.S. Ports | 4,262,230 | 4,359,141 | 20,369,528 | 19,594,044 |
| Canadian Ports | 708,681 | 618,060 | 3,549,656 | 2,942,242 |
| Total - Stone | 4,965,911 | 4,977,201 | 23,919,184 | 22,536,286 |
| Total All Commodities | 17,548,614 | 18,236,665 | 90,254,649 | 84,677,736 |
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.
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.