Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 26.3 million tons in 2016, a decrease of 9.3 percent compared to 2015, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. Loadings for 2016 were also 5.3 percent below the trade’s five-year average.
- Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 21.4 million tons, a decrease of nearly 13 percent compared to 2015. Shipments from U.S. quarries also trailed their five-year average by 8.6 percent.
- Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 5 million tons, an increase of 10.5 percent over 2015 and 12.4 percent better than their five-year average.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies that operate 49 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, sand and grain. Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 100 million tons of cargo per year.