Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,052,994 tons in June, an increase of more than 17 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. This June also represented the first month in which loadings topped 4 million tons since July 2015.
- Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.2 million tons, an increase of 16.2 percent compared to a year ago.
- Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 815,000 tons, an increase of 22 percent.
Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 9.3 million tons, an increase of 5.9 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 7.7 million tons, an increase of 8.2 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 1.6 million tons, a decrease of about three boatloads.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 13 American companies that operate 45 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 sand, grain and gypsum. Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 100 million tons of cargo per year.