Brutal ice conditions on Great Lakes continues to hit shipping hard
TRANSPORT is being held by severe ice conditions still present on the Great Lakes, causing shipment numbers to stagnate or decrease.
The Lake Carriers' Association announced that iron ore shipments in May were 600,000 less than expected due to three US-flag lakers being out of service for 65 days because of damage from heavy ice on the lakes, reported American Shipper.
Shipments from US ports remained unchanged from a year ago at 5.8 million tons, the association said.
"Year-to-date, the Lakes ore trade stands at 12.7 million tons, a decrease of 26 per cent compared to a year ago," according to its release.
"The decrease reflects the brutal ice conditions that prevailed well into April."