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)

Source: Lake Carriers Association (LCA)

Great Lakes Limestone Trade: 2007-2012 and 5-Year Average

(net tons)

U.S. ports: Calcite, MI; Cedarville, MI; Drummond Island, MI; Kellys Island, OH; Marblehead, OH; Port Inland, MI; and Presque Isle, MI. Kellys Island ceased shipping in fall 2009. Canadian ports: Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island, and Smelter Bay (all Ontario).