The U.S.-Flag fleet on the Great Lakes moved 11.5 million net tons of cargo in April, an increase of 26 percent compared to a year ago. Less severe ice conditions, coupled with strong demand for cargo, enabled Jones Act carriers to quickly resume "summer sailing" schedules in April, where in 1996, the U.S. Coast Guard continued breaking ice well into May.
The U.S.-Flag iron ore float in April totaled 6.1 million tons, an increase of 11 percent compared to a year earlier. However, the most significant increases came in the coal trade. Western coal cargos loaded in Superior, Wisconsin, topped 1.2 million tons, an increase of 57 percent. Loadings of eastern coal at Lake Erie and Lake Michigan ports neared 1 million tons, or essentially twice that of a year ago.
The U.S.-Flag stone float totaled 2.4 million tons, an increase of 45 percent.
The 1997 U.S.-Flag dry-bulk shipping season began with the sailing of the DAVID Z. NORTON (Oglebay Norton Company), and through April, U.S.-Flag carriage stands at 14.5 million tons, an increase of 30.8 percent compared to 1996.
Although the 1997 navigation season is still young, the Lakes Jones Act fleet has already established two new benchmarks. On April 26, the steamship PHILIP R. CLARKE (USS Great Lakes Fleet, Inc.) broke the U.S.-Flag record for salt by loading 27,621 tons at Fairport Harbor, Ohio, for delivery to Buffalo, New York. This cargo bettered the previous record, also held by the CLARKE, by 2,296 tons.
On May 12, the 698-foot-long ELTON HOYT 2ND (Interlake Steamship) became the longest ship to ever navigate the twisting Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The HOYT is 38 feet longer than any other ship that has ever ventured into that waterway.
| Commodity | April 1997 |
April 1996 |
Season to Date 1997 |
Season to Date 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Ore | 6,144,866 | 5,469,592 | 8,157,350 | 6,866,776 |
| Coal - Western | 1,236,667 | 788,159 | 1,547,512 | 788,159 |
| Coal, Coke - Eastern | 989,103 | 497,620 | 1,191,113 | 645,007 |
| Total - Coal | 2,225,770 | 1,285,770 | 2,738,625 | 1,433,166 |
| Limestone, Gypsum | 2,414,036 | 1,670,766 | 2,433,025 | 1,751,621 |
| Cement, Potash | 303,097 | 309,028 | 446,242 | 351,584 |
| Salt | 173,250 | 116,190 | 198,575 | 116,190 |
| Sand | 0 | 13,874 | 0 | 13,874 |
| Grain | 65,405 | 9,969 | 65,405 | 9,969 |
| Liquid Bulk | 101,847 | 189,870 | 516,082 | 583,682 |
| Totals - All Commodities | 11,428,271 | 9,065,068 | 14,555,304 | 11,126,862 |
| Liquid Bulk - Barrels | 734,377 | 1,283,518 | 3,488,413 | 3,945,700 |
Note: Given the limited number of gypsum producers, that commodity must be combined with limestone to insure confidentiality. Since tankers operate year-round, that trade is reported on a calendar year basis.
This survey represents carriage by the members of Lake Carriers' Association, Kinsman Lines, Hannah Marine Corp., Andrie, Inc. (cement only), Upper Lakes Barge, Upper Lakes Towing and Merce Transportation.