Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,066,915 tons in June, an increase of less than 1% from a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. This June’s loadings were above the month’s five-year average by 7%.
Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 3,400,440 tons, an increase of approximately 162,252 tons compared to a year ago. However, shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 666,475 tons, a decrease of 148,331 tons or 18%.
Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 10,753,764 tons, an increase of 15.8% compared to 2018. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries increased 15.6% from a year ago. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 1,846,696 tons, an increase of 264,980 tons.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies that operate 46 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes and carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, as well as salt, sandand grain. Collectively, its members can transport more than 90 million tons of dry-bulk cargo per year and employ more than 1,600 men and women, all of whom are U.S. citizens or legally admitted aliens, and provide annual wages and benefits of approximately $125 million.
In turn, the cargos its members carry create and sustain nearly 116,000 jobs in the eight Great Lakes states and generate more than $20 billion in economic activity, $8.3 billion in personal income, $16.4 billion in business revenue, $4.1 billion in local purchases and $3.7 billion in taxes. More information is available at www.lcaships.com.