Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes between the US and Canada dropped year-on-year in June, according to data from the Lake Carriers’ Association. Shipments totalled 3.5 million t, a 7.3% fall on June 2016 and 8.9% below the month’s five-year average.
Canadian shipments showed the more significant fall, down 14.3% to 0.67 million t – the lowest total since 2014. Loading from US quarries were down just 5.5% compared to the previous year at 2.8 million t – although this was the lowest total in more than five years.
Year-to-date limestone trade stood at 8.8 million t – a 10.4% fall from the first half of 2016. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio in the US totalled 7.1 million t, a decrease of 9.2%, while shipments from Ontario totalled 1.6 million t, down 15.5%.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 US companies that operate 49 US-flag vessels on the Great Lakes carrying a range of commodities, including iron ore, building materials, such as limestone, cement, and gypsum, coal, and grains.