Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in August, a decrease of 40.3 percent compared to a year ago according to the Lake Carriers Association. Shipments were also below the month’s 5-year average by 37.9 percent. Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 24.3 million tons, a decrease of 25.9 percent compared to the same point in 2019.
Through August iron shipments are nearly 23.2 percent below their 5-year average for eight months of the year.
Great Lakes Iron Ore Shipments: August 2015-2020 and 5-Year Average (net tons)
Includes Transshipments to Quebec City for Shipment Overseas
| Port | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Average |
| Duluth, MN | 627,465 | 359,307 | 653,815 | 753,097 | 1,034,173 | 784,565 | 685,571 |
| Superior, WI | 1,087,241 | 1,294,283 | 1,549,998 | 1,676,254 | 1,543,211 | 657,807 | 1,430,197 |
| Two Harbors, MN | 1,704,461 | 1,872,211 | 1,971,440 | 1,961,521 | 1,787,273 | 994,491 | 1,859,381 |
| Silver Bay, MN | 317,178 | 473,853 | 915,739 | 785,494 | 580,885 | 360,469 | 614,630 |
| Marquette, MI | 643,564 | 782,985 | 790,977 | 765,107 | 806,181 | 510,505 | 757,763 |
| Escanaba, MI* | 359,900 | 356,168 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 143,214 |
| Cleveland, OH** | 217,715 | 200,764 | 180,830 | 268,238 | 110,374 | 147,974 | 195,584 |
| Ashtabula, OH | 0 | 0 | 236,988 | 206,022 | 172,670 | 149,741 | 123,136 |
| Conneaut, OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 4,957,524 | 5,339,571 | 6,299,787 | 6,415,733 | 6,034,767 | 3,605,552 | 5,809,476 |
Year-To-Date 2015-2020 (net tons)
| Port | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Average |
| Duluth, MN | 3,792,287 | 2,867,847 | 4,350,625 | 4,509,771 | 5,576,124 | 5,142,219 | 4,219,331 |
| Superior, WI | 5,635,535 | 6,514,904 | 7,477,377 | 7,886,178 | 7,036,717 | 4,210,602 | 6,910,142 |
| Two Harbors, MN | 9,008,295 | 9,397,655 | 10,215,368 | 10,098,301 | 10,541,206 | 7,709,362 | 9,852,165 |
| Silver Bay, MN | 2,612,329 | 1,131,913 | 4,056,312 | 3,960,752 | 3,177,212 | 2,311,974 | 2,987,704 |
| Marquette, MI | 3,786,871 | 4,497,497 | 4,200,978 | 4,020,679 | 4,062,560 | 2,838,319 | 4,113,717 |
| Escanaba, MI* | 2,160,911 | 2,950,958 | 1,016,867 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,225,747 |
| Cleveland, OH** | 2,111,142 | 2,015,696 | 1,899,257 | 1,764,640 | 1,483,492 | 1,542,625 | 1,854,845 |
| Ashtabula, OH | 0 | 0 | 618,940 | 790,350 | 912,701 | 548,380 | 464,398 |
| Conneaut, OH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 29,107,370 | 29,376,470 | 33,835,724 | 4 33,030,671 | 32,790,012 | 24,303,481 | 31,628,049 |
* Dock ceased operations in April 2017.
** Transshipments within Cleveland Harbor
