From: Gary V
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Remote Name: 129.9.163.234
Date: 05/28/03
Time: 01:30:46 PM
What it means for shipping can be only positive, compared with the alternative. But you have to compare like scenarios. If indeed we are reaching the end of the blast furnace era, there wouldn't be ANY taconite shipping (and a lot less reduced shipping of coal and limestone) - because there wouldn't be a market. If the iron nuggets work out, there would at least be some shipping. It may be less than there is today, but it would be more than none if mining companies didn't look beyond taconite. There would be some increased coal shipments to whereever the nugget plants were located. Whether that means western coal being shuttled up the MN coast, or eastern coal being shipped from OH, remains to be seen. It also remains to be seen whether the nuggets would be shipped partially by water - say MN to OH - and then by train to the final destination, or completely by train. One would also presume that Labrador would also have to convert to nugget production - there wouldn't be any market for their taconite either. Those would probably go by ship - but some would go via the Atlantic, not the Lakes.
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