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Mount Vernon News

21 Sep 2023

US' MARAD Announces Grants to Boost Supply Chain Efficiency

File photo: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (Photo: Harvey A. Duze – Office of Command Communications)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.

19 Sep 2023

Ports of Indiana Names Operations Managers at Ohio River Ports

Ashley Blocker and Michael Graves (Photos: Ports of Indiana)

Ports of Indiana has filled two key leadership roles at its Ohio River ports, naming Ashley Blocker and Michael Graves as Operations Managers in Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville, respectively.Blocker, a southwest Indiana native, was promoted to the new role after serving as Operations Analyst for Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon since 2022. She previously worked in multiple roles with Squaw Creek Southern Railroad and has more than 15 years’ experience in port and rail operations, customer relations and data analysis.

06 Mar 2023

Ports of Indiana Invests to Expand Following 6% Cargo Growth in 2022

(Photo: Ports of Indiana)

Ports of Indiana announced more than $20 million in expansion and maintenance projects have been approved following several years of cargo growth.Ports of Indiana, which includes Jeffersonville, Burns Harbor and Mount Vernon, handled 11.9 million tons of cargo in 2022, resulting in a 6% increase from 2021 and 42% more than 2020. During 2022, the Burns Harbor and Jeffersonville ports both set new records for total annual shipments, and the overall cargo volume was the fourth highest…

21 Jun 2021

Weithman Named Director of Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon

Ben Weithman (Photo: Ports of Indiana)

Ports of Indiana (POI) announced that it has hired Bernard (Ben) Weithman as the new Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon port director.Weithman will lead port operations and business development for the Mount Vernon port. His industry experience includes more than 30 years in business development, startup and long-term sustainable operations. A senior-level executive in the transportation, agriculture and freight sectors, he most recently served as a senior transportation market consultant at IHS Markit.

16 Nov 2020

Elakha: The Repowering of OSU's Valued Research Vessel

The 54 x 16.5-foot Research Vesssel Elakha which was built in 2001 at Rozema Boat Works, recently repowered with Cummins engines. Photo: Alan Haig/Brown/Cummins

Ocean science is in high demand by scientists studying ocean acidification, wave energy, seabed composition, changing water temperatures, fish populations and dozens of other research projects. The Oregon State University (OSU) has a proud history in the field. The wide variety of research project require a variety of vessels.One boat that has made large contributions to research is the 54 by 16.5-foot Elakha which was built in 2001 at Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon Washington.

03 Nov 2020

Elakha: Repowering a Valued Research Vessel

Ocean science is in high demand by scientists studying ocean acidification, wave energy, seabed composition, changing water temperatures, fish populations and dozens of other research projects. The Oregon State University (OSU) has a proud history in the field. The wide variety of research project require a variety of vessels.One boat that has made large contributions to research is the 54- by 16.5-foot Elakha which was built in 2001 at Rozema Boat Works of Mount Vernon, Wash.

19 May 2020

Port of Indiana-Mt. Vernon Makes ‘Next Generation’ Terminal Upgrades

(Photo: Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon)

A  recently completed a $2 million capital improvement project aims to attract more cargo to one of the nation’s largest inland ports.Situated 153 miles from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon connects the Ohio River Valley region’s agriculture, coal and manufacturing industries to the rest of the world via year-round access to the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes through the inland waterways system.Each year, more than 3,600 barges…

13 Mar 2019

Ports of Indiana: Big Successes, with Big Projects in the Wings

Vanta Coda, CEO at Indiana Ports

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.

10 Feb 2019

Burns Harbor Extends Key Partnership

The Port of Indiana Burns-Harbor has extended its partnership with its longtime stevedore and marine terminal operating company, Federal Marine Terminals.A press note from the Ports of Indiana, a statewide port authority operating three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan, said that the deal will run through at least 2023."FMT has been a vital collaborator with the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor since 1999," said Port Director Ian Hirt, "and this consolidated operating agreement underscores FMT's commitment to the greater northwest Indiana and Chicago markets."FMT has been handling cargoes in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and along the East and Gulf coasts since 1960.

04 Feb 2019

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)…

20 Feb 2018

Ports of Indiana: Building on Success

(Photo: Ports of Indiana)

The Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority, established in 1963, which operates three ports: two on the Ohio River, one on Lake Michigan. Port officials refer to the three as “America’s Premier Inland Port System.” They cite location, location, location, providing access via two critical freight arteries – the Great Lakes and the Inland Waterway System and proximity to the world’s most productive industrial and agricultural regions. The Ports is the only statewide port authority in the Midwest.

22 Feb 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.

05 Oct 2016

CGB to Invest $30 mln in Indiana Port

Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. (CGB) announced plans today to expand its operations at the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon, investing more than $31 million to increase its soybean processing capabilities in southwest Indiana. “Indiana is a state known around the world for building things and growing things, and because CGB plays a key role in both, this soybean processor is helping advance our economy,” said Governor Mike Pence. “After processing soybeans in southwest Indiana for nearly twenty years, CGB knows firsthand the benefits of operating in a state that works for business. CGB’s processing plant was constructed in 1997, at that time processing 65,000 bushels of soybeans each day into soybean meal, soybean oil and soy hull pellets for both food and industrial uses.

10 Jun 2016

Indiana Ranks Top 10 for 109 Logistics Categories

The newly released 2016 Indiana Logistics Directory reports that Indiana ranks high nationally in its ability to move freight via truck, rail, water and air. The state is ranked in the top five states in more than 25 logistics-related categories and in the top 10 in 109. The Directory, published by the Ports of Indiana, showcases Indiana's vast transportation infrastructure and includes national logistics rankings, maps and freight statistics. According to the Directory, Indiana ranks first among all states in pass-through interstates, is home to the country's largest producer of truck trailers and is ranked third in truck tractor registrations.

13 Feb 2016

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.

24 Jan 2016

Port of Indiana Handles Record Volume

The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon set a new annual shipping record in 2015 by handling over 6.6 million tons for the first time in its 40-year history. This was a 36-percent increase over 2014 and 30 percent higher than the previous record set in 1994. In addition to the record volume, it was also the highest annual increase in total tons handled at the port. "The credit for the record volume rightfully goes to our world-class port companies, without them we would not be enjoying the success we have today," said Port Director Phil Wilzbacher. Shipments of coal, agricultural products, steel as well as other bulk commodities helped drive the year's significant increase in cargo volume.

21 Jan 2016

Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon Bests Cargo Record

Photo: Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon

The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon set a new annual shipping record in 2015 by handling over 6.6 million tons for the first time in its 40-year history. This was a 36-percent increase over 2014 and 30 percent higher than the previous record set in 1994. In addition to the record volume, it was also the highest annual increase in total tons handled at the port. "The credit for the record volume rightfully goes to our world-class port companies, without them we would not be enjoying the success we have today," said Port Director Phil Wilzbacher.

13 Jan 2016

Indiana Governor Proposes State Add 4th Port

Governor Mike Pence (Official photo)

In the 2016 State of the State Address, Governor Mike Pence called on the Ports of Indiana to "vigorously explore" building the state's fourth port in southeastern Indiana. In Tuesday's State of the State Address, Governor Pence said, "Indiana's ports have also been spectacular catalysts for job growth. The Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority created by state legislature in 1961 that operates three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan. The three ports include Port…

15 Apr 2015

Mount Vernon Port Breaks Indiana Shipping Record

The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon recorded the highest quarterly shipments by any port in Ports of Indiana's over 50-plus year history during the first quarter of 2015. This was the second consecutive quarter the port broke this record. First quarter shipments increased three percent over the fourth quarter of 2014 and were up 48 percent over 2014's first quarter. A key driver for the high volumes was a 36 percent increase in grain shipments. "Being located in the most fertile agricultural region in the world, grain is one of the largest volume commodities handled through the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon," said Phil Wilzbacher, Port Director. "On an annual basis, port companies trade or process approximately 75 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat.

02 Feb 2015

Indiana Ports Set Cargo Record in 2014

The Ports of Indiana handled over 10.4 million tons of cargo in 2014, up nearly 26 percent from the previous year. This was the first time annual shipments exceeded 10 million tons in the port authority's 53-year history. The 2014 total was nearly 800,000 tons higher than the previous record set in 1994. Shipments of coal, agricultural products and steel helped drive significant increases in annual cargo volumes at the state's ports. Steel shipments more than doubled while grain shipments were up nearly 72 percent from 2013. Ethanol and dried distillers grains (DDGs) increased 54 percent and 51 percent, respectively, while salt shipments nearly tripled over the previous year.

29 Jan 2015

Jeffersonville Port Sets Cargo Record in 2014

The Port of Indiana - Jeffersonville handled over 2.4 million tons of cargo in 2014, up 48 percent from the previous year, according to a news release from the port. This was the first time annual shipments exceeded two million tons in the port’s 29-year history. The 2014 total was 464,000 tons higher than the previous record set in 2006. Another outstanding harvest in 2014 helped push grain tonnage to its highest volume ever breaking the previous record set in 1993. Steel and salt shipments also set all-time records, up 72 percent and 51 percent from 2013, respectively. For the year, the port handled approximately 1,300 barges, 197,000 trucks and 18,000 railcars.

22 Jan 2015

Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon Bests Tonnage Records

Photo: Ports of Indiana

The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled 735,000 tons of cargo in December, which was the highest ever single-month total at any of Indiana's three ports, and also produced the highest fourth-quarter shipments by any port in Ports of Indiana history. December's results were 31 percent higher than the previous single-month record set in 1993 and the port's fourth quarter shipments broke its own quarterly record established in 2013. The port finished 2014 with 4.85 million tons, up 17 percent from 2013 and the highest annual total since 1994.

22 Jan 2015

Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon Sets Record

The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled 735,000 tons of cargo in December, which was the highest ever single-month total at any of Indiana's three ports, and also produced the highest fourth-quarter shipments by any port in Ports of Indiana history. December's results were 31 percent higher than the previous single-month record set in 1993 and the port's fourth quarter shipments broke its own quarterly record established in 2013. The port finished 2014 with 4.85 million tons, up 17 percent from 2013 and the highest annual total since 1994. Coal, grain, ethanol, dried distiller grains (DDG) and steel were the dominant cargoes in 2014.