The following is the text of a news release from the Lake Carriers' Association:
(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 1,947,263 tons in April, an increase of 7 percent compared to a year ago.
Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 1,552,490 tons, a decrease of 3.2 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries jumped 85 percent to 394,773 tons.
Year to date, the lakes limestone trade stands at 2,257,604 tons, an increase of 10.6 percent. Shipments from U.S. quarries are up a boatload or two. Loadings out of Canadian quarries have risen 75 percent.
The year-to-date total includes 180,234 tons from U.S. quarries in January and 107,998 tons in March. Canadian quarries shipped 22,109 tons in March.
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 14 American companies that operate 56 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. More information is available at www.lcaships.com.