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    February 6, 2026

    Great lakes iron ore shipments drop in 2025

    Written by Ethan Bernard

    US-flagged iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes fell last year vs. 2024.

    The Lake Carriers’ Association reported iron ore shipments were off 10.8% to 39.1 million short tons compared with the previous year.

    More broadly, US-flagged Great Lakes freighters carried 71.3 million st of cargo in 2025, dropping 8.9% from 2024. Last year’s cargo movement on the Great Lakes was 8.1% below the fleet’s five-year average.

    Not counting salt shipments, all commodity shipments declined in 2025.

    Of note, coal cargos fell to 6.5 million st, down 12% year over year.

    The Lake Carriers’ Association, based in Westlake, Ohio, represents the US-flag Great Lakes fleet.

    Ethan Bernard

    Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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