MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Iron ore shipments out of Marquette’s Upper Harbor are down dramatically, prompting fears about the future of Empire Mine.
According to the Lake Carriers’ Association, roughly 460,000 tons of iron ore shipped out of Marquette last month, compared with about 732,000 tons in
November 2014. The average monthly shipment between 2010 and 2014 was about 791,000 tons.
November 2014. The average monthly shipment between 2010 and 2014 was about 791,000 tons.
The Mining Journal reports a similar downward trend was also seen throughout the Great Lakes, according to the association’s report. Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.9 million tons in November, a decrease of 17 percent compared to a year ago.
“It’s been a rough, brutal year and our customer demand is down,” Cliffs Natural Resources spokeswoman Patricia Persico said. “So we’ve adjusted our production accordingly, and we have a lot of inventory we’re working off this year. ... Those temporary shutdowns are obviously impacting things and of course the steel imports are the main root cause here.”
Persico said she wasn’t sure how much ore was produced at the mines this year, but said production was likely lower than usual because of the idling that occurred at the Empire Mine.
Cliffs operates the Empire and Tilden mines in Marquette County.
Cliffs has a partnership agreement in place that has extended the life of Empire mine through 2016, with a separate commercial agreement that calls for
the life of the mine being planned through 2017, according to Persico.
“As things progress we’ll make any updates as necessary related,” she said. “Right now we’re not speculating beyond that current agreement.”
Meanwhile, shipments from Canadian seaway ports have gone up, totaling 710,000 tons in November, up 29.3 percent from 2014.
