Ports of Indiana: Big Successes, with Big Projects in the Wings
For Indiana’s state-established, but autonomous Ports of Indiana, 2018 was a record setting year, both for system-wide numbers and among the three individual Ports. These consist of Burns Harbor, on Lake Erie; Jeffersonville, on the Ohio, across from Louisville, KY; and Mount Vernon, also on the Ohio River, about 140 miles downriver from Jeffersonville.Not only were actual numbers robust, but Port officials reported “unprecedented tonnage increases” within the three-port system.
Record Year for Indiana Ports
Indiana's three major shipping ports handled a record amount of cargo last year as a big jump in coal shipments helped them see 25 percent growth in 2018."The Ports of Indiana, which includes the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville and the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon, handled 14.8 million tons of cargo last year, a 25% increase over 2017 and a 21% increase over its previous record year in 2015," said a press statement.This was the first time the Ports of Indiana set records in each quarter, and the fifth consecutive year that the Ports of Indiana handled more than 10 million tons of cargo.Key drivers in this record-shattering year included coal shipments (up 58% from 2017)…
Indiana Ports set Quarterly Tonnage Record
The Ports of Indiana handled nearly 3.9 million tons of cargo during the fourth quarter of 2016, the highest quarterly shipment total in the organization's 55-year history. The total surpassed the ports' previous quarterly record set in the second quarter of 2015 by 300,000 tons. The state's three ports' shipped nearly 11.3 million tons in 2016, the second highest volume in history and the third consecutive year the ports exceeded 10 million tons annually. Since 2014, the Ports of Indiana has handled 34 million tons of cargo, the highest three-year total since Indiana's ports opened. Major cargoes included coal, steel, grain, fertilizer and limestone.
Indiana Ports Sets Cargo Record in 2015
INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 11, 2016) - The Ports of Indiana handled over 12.2 million tons of cargo in 2015, surpassing 2014's record volume by nearly 18 percent. This was the first time annual shipments exceeded 12 million tons in the port authority's 54-year history, and the total was more than 1.8 million tons more than the previous year's record. Shipments of coal, steel, bulk commodities and ethanol-related products helped drive significant increases in annual cargo volumes at the three Ohio River and Lake Michigan ports. Coal volumes increased 69 percent while ethanol shipments more than doubled, and dried distillers grains (DDGs) increased 64 percent from 2014.
Argentine Grains Workers Threaten to Extend Strike
Grains inspectors who began a strike on Wednesday in Argentina's pivotal Rosario export hub will extend it for a second day if there is no progress on their demand for higher salaries, a senior union official said. Other unions are also threatening labor actions, risking disruptions in the shipping of grains from Argentina, the world's third largest exporter of corn and soybeans. The striking workers check the quality of grains before they are stored and then loaded onto ships. Strikes and labor disputes are common in Argentina, Latin America's No. 3 economy, which has one of the world's highest inflation rates and a depreciating currency that is eating into salaries. Argentine unions have hunkered down for a tough round of wage talks.
Record Cargo Volumes Reported at Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon
The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon finished 2013 by shipping more cargo during the fourth quarter than any other quarter in the port's 37-year history. The 1.59 million tons shipped in October-December 2013 were more than the total annual volume for each of the port's first five years of operations. "Because of the extremely strong fourth quarter, 2013 is one for the record books," said Port Director Phil Wilzbacher. "This was the first time our shipments exceeded 500,000 tons for two consecutive months, let alone three consecutive months. For the year, the port handled over 4.15 million tons, up 21 percent from 2012. The significant increase in annual tonnage was driven by strong shipments of coal, grain, soy products and fertilizer.
Indiana Port Tonnage at Five Year High
The Ports of Indiana handled 8.1 million tons of cargo in 2011, the largest annual tonnage since 2006. New ethanol and dried distillers grains (DDGs) shipments combined with gains in limestone, salt and steel cargoes fueled a 5 percent increase in total shipments moving through Indiana's three ports. "Despite continued economic uncertainties, this was the fourth consecutive year our ports experienced growth," said Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper. "Our 2011 shipments were nearly a million tons higher than the five year average. We've also seen a significant increase in capital investments by our port companies as they prepare for future growth. The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled its largest annual tonnage since 1994 and the third highest in the port's 36-year history.
