Indiana’s ports in 2017 saw near-record shipments

The Ports of Indiana says it handled 11.8 million tons of cargo in 2017, the second-highest annual shipment total in its 57-year history.

Cooper

Last year was the fourth consecutive year the Ports of Indiana handled more than 10 million tons of cargo. The record was in 2015, at 12.2 million tons.

Indiana has three ports—in Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville on the Ohio River and in Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan—and is considering adding a fourth near Lawrenceburg that would help serve the Cincinnati market. It agreed last year to buy 725 acres of land for that project.

“Ports of Indiana experienced a historic year and we look forward to extending our growth spurt in 2018,” Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper said in a statement.

Major cargo increases for the Ports of Indiana in 2017 included coal, up 9 percent, as well as steel, fertilizer and ethanol, all of which were up 14 percent.

The state’s busiest port last year was Mount Vernon, which handled a record 6.6 million tons, a 7 percent increase from the previous year.•