Great Lakes limestone trade down 3.6 percent in 2012
Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 27,145,219 tons in 2012, a decrease of 3.6 percent compared to 2011, according to the Lake Carriers Association (LCA). The trade was 7 percent below its five-year average, LCA reports.
Shipments from U.S. ports fell 2.4 percent when compared to 2011, and slightly more — 4.1 percent — when compared to their five-year average, according to LCA. Loadings at Canadian quarries decreased 9 percent compared to 2011, and slipped almost 19 percent compared to their 5-year average.
Falling water levels and the dredging crisis took a toll in 2012. By year’s end, a vessel that has carried as much as 35,457 tons in a single trip averaged only 29,796 tons on the three stone loads it moved in December. The cargos were loaded at a quarry on Lake Huron, and that body of water has fallen to a new record low, according to LCA.
Great Lakes Limestone Trade: DECEMBER 2007-2012 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)
|
Ports |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
Average |
|
U.S. |
1,732,502 |
451,134 |
715,473 |
840,933 |
1,218,638 |
759,222 |
991,736 |
|
Canada |
349,500 |
77,687 |
39,950 |
198,991 |
250,447 |
35,291 |
183,315 |
|
Total |
2,084,009 |
530,829 |
755,423 |
1,039,924 |
1,469,085 |
794,513 |
1,175,051 |
Source: Lake Carriers Association (LCA)
Great Lakes Limestone Trade: 2007-2012 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)
|
Ports
|
