U.S.-flag cargo shipments slip three percent in July

U.S.-flag cargo shipments slip three percent in July

The U.S.-flagged Great Lakes fleet saw total shipments decline 3 percent in the month of July compared with the same period last year.

While the decrease may be partially attributed to the idling of Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship vessels in the American Maritime Officers strike against the company, the 365,000-ton shortfall could have been "easily erased" had the active Great Lakes fleet been able to carry full loads, the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA) reported.

The impact of the dredging crisis was clearly illustrated in the shipments of western coal from Superior, Wisc. While the total for July was more than 1.9 million net tons, one of the better months on record, shipments would have exceeded 2.2 million tons if vessels had been able to carry full loads, according to the LCA.

The lack of dredging registered similar consequences in the iron ore trade, where a thousand-footer was able to haul 89 percent of its carrying capacity, which resulted in a 30,000-ton shortfall over four cargoes.

Through July, U.S. shipments stood at 51.4 million tons, a decrease of 5.6 percent compared with the same point in 2006 and 1.7 percent ahead of the five-year average.

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