The following is the text of a news release from the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA):
(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of limestone from U.S. and Canadian quarries on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in August, an increase of 4 percent compared to a year ago, and even more, 10 percent, when compared to the month’s long-term average.
Loadings from U.S. quarries in Michigan and Ohio approached 3.3 million tons, an increase of 6 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries in Ontario dipped by a couple boatloads.
Year-to-date the lakes limestone trade stands at 17,857,335 tons, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same point in 2014. Loadings out of U.S. quarries are 11 percent ahead of last year’s pace. Shipments from Canadian quarries have surged by 23 percent.
U.S. ports: Calcite, Mich., Cedarville, Mich., Drummond Island, Mich., Marblehead, Ohio, Port Inland, Mich., and Presque Isle, Mich. Canadian ports: Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island and Smelter Bay (all Ontario).
The Lake Carriers’ Association represents 16 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.
