CLEVELAND — Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in August, a decrease of 40.3 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were also below the month’s 5-year average by 37.9 percent.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 24.3 million tons, a decrease of 25.9 percent compared to the same point in 2019.