Record Quarter Drives Near-Record Year For Ports
At the end of last year
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe positive news keeps rolling in for the Ports of Indiana. The state authority says the nearly 3.9 million tons of cargo handled during the fourth quarter of last year is a quarterly record. The previous high came in the second quarter of 2015. During 2016, the three ports combined to handle nearly 11.3 million tons, the second-highest annual total in the organization’s 55-year history.
Chief Executive Officer Rich Cooper says "thanks to our world-class port companies and other businesses that use our facilities, our ports remain one of the most vibrant port systems in the heartland of America. With our total 2016 shipments more than two million tons higher than the previous five-year average, a global steelmaker announcing plans to build a processing plant at our Jeffersonville port and several existing port companies making significant capital investments during the year, the prospect for continued growth at the ports is certainly encouraging."
Since 2014, more cargo has moved through the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon and the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville than in any other three-year period since the ports opened.
The high quarterly and full-year totals were the result of record or near-record numbers announced earlier this month in the Mount Vernon, Burns Harbor and Jeffersonville facilities. Soy product, oil and mineral shipments all rose compared to the previous year and Ports of Indiana officials say coal, steel, grain, fertilizer and limestone handling also contributed.
The state says the ports have an economic impact of more than $7.8 billion and support close to 60,000 jobs.
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