CLEVELAND – Shipments of iron ore from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 5 million tons in May, a decrease of 7.7 percent compared to 2024. Shipments were 3.1 percent below the month’s 5-year average, reports the Lake Carriers Association.
Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 11.7 million tons, a decrease of 18.6 percent compared to a year ago. Iron ore shipments were also 11.8 percent below their 5-year average for five months of the year.
Since 1880, Lake Carriers’ has represented the U.S.-flag Great Lakes fleet, which today can move more than 90 million tons of cargos annually that are the foundation of American industry, infrastructure, and power: iron ore, stone, coal, cement, and other dry bulk materials such as grain, salt, and sand.
(Photo by David Schauer of James R. Barker to load iron ore at Duluth)