U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 76.3 million tons of cargo in 2024, a decrease of 6.3 percent compared to 2023. The 2024 float was 4.6 percent below the fleet’s 5-year average.
Compared to 2023, salt shipments increased by 5.8 percent while sand shipments increased by 15.2 percent. However, shipments of all other commodities decreased in 2024. Both iron ore and grain cargos decreased by less than one percent to 42 million tons and 312,345 tons, respectively. Coal cargos were down 12.7 percent to 7.3 million tons. Limestone shipments declined by 14.5 percent to 21.1 million tons and cement shipments dipped by 6.3 percent to 3.5 million tons.
