Ports of Indiana marks increasing shipment totals

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — The Ports of Indiana says the state’s three ports handled more than 11.2 million tons of cargo in 2021, which is a nearly 34% increase from the previous year. Additionally, the ports in Burns Harbor and Jeffersonville set new records for their highest annual shipment totals.

Over the past five years, the ports have handled nearly 59 million tons of cargo, which is a new, five-year record.

The Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan handled 3.39 million tons, which is a nearly 50% increase over 2020. Meanwhile, the Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville handled 3.22 million tons, up 21.6%.

The Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled 4.65 million tons of cargo, which was not a new record, but still a 32% increase over 2020.

“The Ports of Indiana recovered very well after a down pandemic year,” Ports of Indiana Chief Executive Officer Vanta Coda said in a news release. “Burns Harbor and Jeffersonville had their best tonnage years ever thanks to our core businesses growing, a steady economy and new shipment opportunities taking advantage of our world-class infrastructure and value-add partners.”

The organization says the ports saw major cargo increases in 2021, including coal (213%), salt (141%), steel (40%), grain (39%), minerals (23%), oils (21%) and limestone (20%).

The port authority says in its history, nearly 260 million tons of cargo have been shipped using the three ports.

We’ll have more from Vanta Coda in Friday afternoon’s INside Edge e-newsletter.