The shipment of US iron ore via the Great Lakes stood at 1.28mn nt (1.16mn mt) in March rising by 1.57pc compared to 1.26mn nt of shipments during the same month in 2020, according to the Lake Carriers Association.
However, when looking at the 5-year March average of 1.48mn nt, Great Lakes’ iron ore shipments fell by 13.5pc in March 2021.
Volumes shipped via the Great Lakes year-to-date during the Jan-Mar 2021 period rose 26.3pc to 3.9mn nt compared to 3.1mn nt of iron ore trade during the same period in 2020.
Moreover, Great Lakes iron ore shipments increased by 12.2pc in Jan-Mar 2021 compared to the 5-year average of 3.47mn nt of shipments for the same three months of the year.