Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes in December dropped 42 percent from December 2007.
The 3.1 million net tons shipped in December was barely half the size of the five-year average for the month, according to the Lake Carriers' Association.
Iron ore shipments will also be down in January, with many ships laying up early. Only 26 U.S.-flagged lakers were in service on Jan. 1, compared to 61 in service on Jan. 1, 2008.
However, because of a strong demand for iron ore earlier in the year, 1.1 million more tons of ore were carried in 2008 than in 2007. Shipments outperformed the trade's five-year average by 400,000 tons.
