Great Lakes iron ore shipments dropped by 46.5pc to 3.5mn nt (3.2mn mt) in July compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).
Superior was the port with the steepest decline in shipments, falling by 74.6pc to 345,472 nt in July compared to 1.4mn nt a year earlier.
Year-to-date iron ore shipments fell by 22.6pc to 20.7mn nt in July against the same month in 2019. Of the total shipped, the top-three ports in the first seven months of 2020 were: Two Harbors, MN at 32.4pc; Duluth, MN, at 21.1pc; and Superior, WI, at 17.2pc. Compared to the first seven months of 2019, shipments at the Two Harbors, Duluth, and Superior ports decreased by 23.3pc, 4.1pc, and 35.3pc, respectively.
Iron ore shipments in July were 19.8pc below the five-year (2015-2019) average.