Limestone shipments on the Great Lakes between Canada and the USA were up more than 15% in July, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, although year-to-date limestone trading remains below last year’s level.
July’s loadings were up 15.4% on last year to 3.9 million. Loadings were also slightly ahead of the five-year average for July, which stands at 3.8 million t.
Year-to-date, limestone shipments stands at 12.6 million t – a decrease of 9.6% on last year. Loadings on the Canadian side have sees the most significant fall, down 13.4% to 2.3 million t. US loadings are down just 1.4% to 10.3 million t.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 companies that operate 49 US-flag vessels on the Great lakes. In addition to limestone, these ship iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, cement, coal for power generation, sand, grain, and gypsum.