Great Lakes bulk shipping surges in 2010

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN: Shipments of freight on the Great Lakes jumped last year by a third, which the industry says is a hopeful sign in a region battered by the recession.

According to the Lake Carriers Association, US-flagged vessels hauled 88.7 million tonnes of dry bulk cargo in 2010, up from 66.4 million tonnes in 2009.

The biggest increase was in shipments of iron ore for steelmaking, which soared by 75 percent.

Association spokesman Glen Nekvasil says one reason for the big increase was that iron ore shipments in 2009 were the lowest in more than 70 years.

Nekvasil says the numbers suggest the region’s economy is getting better but hasn’t fully recovered.