Cargo movements on the Great Lakes rise in July 2019

U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters moved 11.4 million tons of cargo in July, an increase of 16.4 percent from 2018, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reports.

July’s cargo on the Great Lakes is also 10.2 percent above the month’s five-year average.

Shipments of aggregate, fluxstone, chemical stone and scrubber stone totaled 3.4 million tons, bettering last year’s mark by 23.9 percent. Year-to-date limestone movement tops at 11.1 million tons, LCA says, representing an increase of 12.4 percent.

Iron ore cargo for steel production totaled 6.2 million tons, an increase of 18.2 percent. July shipments were 24.6 percent above the five-year average. Coal loads totaled 1.2 million tons, a decrease of about 6.1 percent for the month.

Year-to-date U.S.-flag cargo movement stands at 43.69 million tons, an increase of 13.9 percent compared to the same point in 2018, LCA says. Iron ore cargos total 24.5 million tons over that period, an increase of 14.1 percent, while coal loadings total 5.5 million tons, an increase of 11.8 percent.

The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies operating 46 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes that carry raw materials, such as aggregate.