Coal surge still comes up short because of dredging crisis
August 28, 07 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Source: Lake Carriers’ Association
CLEVELAND—Even though coal shipments on the Great Lakes increased 18.5 percent in July compared to a year ago, the dredging crisis effectively trimmed hundreds of thousands of tons from the month-end total.
Shipments from Superior Midwest Energy Terminal (SMET) in Superior, Wisconsin, are a case in point. Although the dock recorded its second-best month ever since starting operations in 1976 – 2,542,659 net tons – it would have shipped nearly 2.8 million net tons if each of the 53 vessels that loaded at SMET in July had been able to carry full loads. The dredging crisis and falling water levels negated 10 percent of vessels’ carrying capacity over the course of July.
Light loads were commonplace at other coal loading docks in July. It is possible that the dredging crisis reduced the coal trade Lakeswide in July by 400,000 tons.
For the year, the Lakes coal trade stands at 19 million net tons, a decrease of 7 percent compared to the same point in 2006. Compared to the 5-year average, shipments are nearly 1 million tons off the pace.
Lake Carriers’ Association represents 18 American corporations that operate 63 U.S.-Flag vessels on the Great Lakes. These vessels 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 as much as 125 million tons of cargo a year when high water levels offset the lack of adequate dredging of Great Lakes ports and waterways. More information is available at www.lcaships.com.
