U.S.-Flag Carriage Up Slightly In May
U.S.-flag Great Lakes vessels moved 11 million net tons of dry-bulk cargo in May, a slight increase (1 percent) compared to the corresponding period last year, but a decrease of nearly 8 percent compared to the month's 5-year average. Smallish increases in iron ore and coal were all but offset by an 11 percent decrease in limestone cargos. The stone trade has been hampered by weather, first the brutal winter and then a rainy spring.
For the year, U.S.-flag carriage stands at 22.7 million net tons, a decrease of 1.3 percent compared to the same point in 2002 and a drop of 14.7 percent compared to the 5-year average for the end of May.
U.S.-Flag Dry-Bulk Carriage on the Great Lakes - May 2003-1999 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)
| Commodity | May 2003 | May 2002 | May 2001 | May 2000 | May 1999 | 5-Yr. Average |
| Iron Ore | ||||||
| Direct Shipments | 4,881,157 | 4,789,800 | 5,477,048 | 5,761,436 | 5,603,972 | 5,302,682 |
| Transshipments | 200,181 | 135,733 | 414,983 | 706,396 | 749,946 | 441,447 |
| Total - Iron Ore | 5,081,338 | 4,925,533 | 5,892,031 | 6,467,832 | 6,353,918 | 5,744,129 |
| Coal | ||||||
| Lake Superior | 1,663,532 | 1,278,274 | 1,494,004 | 1,553,215 | 1,514,171 | 1,500,639 |
| Lake Michigan | 290,138 | 332,063 | 282,036 | 593,767 | 984,947 | 834,477 |
| Lake Erie | 486,312 | 683,049 | 520,075 | |||
| Total - Coal | 2,439,982 | 2,293,386 | 2,296,115 | 2,146,982 | 2,499,118 | 2,335,116 |
| Limestone | 2,798,588 | 3,146,535 | 3,269,680 | 3,472,324 | 3,497,891 | 3,237,003 |
| Cement | 498,205 | 398,024 | 475,503 | 494,086 | 557,619 | 484,687 |
| Salt | 138,091 | 50,098 | 39,508 | 95,062 | 197,000 | 103,951 |
| Sand | 44,434 | 48,809 | 61,790 | 40,805 | 0 | 39,167 |
| Grain | 44,568 | 67,237 | 65,332 | 16,322 | 53,963 | 49,484 |
| Totals | 11,045,206 | 10,929,622 | 12,099,959 | 12,733,413 | 13,159,509 | 11,993,537 |
NOTE: LCA did not begin to track Eastern coal by Lake of loading until 2001.
U.S.-Flag Dry-Bulk Carriage on the Great Lakes -
Year-To-Date 2003-1999 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)
| Commodity | Y-T-D 2003 | Y-T-D 2002 | Y-T-D 2001 | Y-T-D 2000 | Y-T-D 1999 | 5-Yr. Average |
| Iron Ore | ||||||
| Direct Shipments | 11,874,043 | 11,116,209 | 12,973,454 | 15,810,394 | 14,463,978 | 13,247,615 |
| Transshipments | 779,379 | 135,733 | 1,640,343 | 2,290,570 | 2,188,280 | 1,406,861 |
| Total - Iron Ore |
12,653,422 |
11,251,942 | 14,613,797 | 18,100,964 | 16,652,258 | 14,654,476 |
| Coal | ||||||
| Lake Superior | 2,774,446 | 2,680,818 | 3,328,969 | 3,339,680 | 3,239,936 | 3,072,769 |
| Lake Michigan | 546,685 | 692,729 | 663,649 | 1,740,910 | 1,817,864 | 1,819,874 |
| Lake Erie | 731,786 | 1,480,669 | 1,425,078 | |||
| Total - Coal | 4,052,917 | 4,854,216 | 5,417,696 | 5,080,590 | 5,057,800 | 4,892,643 |
| Limestone | 4,556,074 | 5,612,044 | 5,648,664 | 6,088,005 | 6,231,051 | 5,627,167 |
| Cement | 1,005,228 | 1,017,749 | 1,102,668 | 1,170,103 | 1,279,414 | 1,115,032 |
| Salt | 322,269 | 169,723 | 184,661 | 262,424 | 330,000 | 253,815 |
| Sand | 87,383 | 48,809 | 61,790 | 40,805 | 40,955 | 55,948 |
| Grain | 58,930 | 82,914 | 97,497 | 16,322 | 72,432 | 65,619 |
| Totals | 22,736,223 | 23,037,397 | 27,126,773 | 30,759,213 | 29,663,910 | 26,664,700 |
DATE OF PUBLICATION: JUNE 24, 2003
