Sneak Peek from the August 2011 print edition of Aggregates Manager.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.9 million tons in May, an increase of 36.4 percent over April, but a decrease of 20 percent compared to a year ago, reports the Great Lakes Carriers Association.  Shipments trailed the month’s 5-year average by 28 percent.

Shipments from U.S. quarries fell 14 percent compared to a year ago and are 26 percent off May’s 5-year average.  Loadings at Canadian quarries slipped by nearly 40 percent compared to both a year ago and the month’s 5-year average.

Through May the limestone trade stands at 5.1 million tons, a decrease of 17 percent compared to the same point in 2010, and a drop of 28 percent compared to the 5-year average for the January-May timeframe.

Great Lakes Limestone Trade: May 2006-2011 and 5-Year Average
(net tons)

Great Lakes Limestone Trade: Year-To-Date 2006-2011 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, Port Colborne, and Smelter Bay (all Ontario).  Port Colborne ceased shipping by vessel in 2006.

Lake Carriers’ Association represents 17 American companies that operate 55 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, limestone and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation….  Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 115 million tons of cargo a year when high water offsets lack of adequate dredging.