Written by
Marine Log Employees
Picture: Ports of Indiana
Ports of Indiana shipped 12.6 million tons of cargo in 2023, the second-highest tonnage in its 63-year historical past. This can be a 6% enhance over 2022 and second solely to 2018, when Indiana’s three ports dealt with 14.8 million tons of cargo. The biggest single cargo enhance in 2023 was coal exports from Mount Vernon, which jumped 78%. Fertilizer elevated greater than 11% % general, with double-digit beneficial properties at Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville, whereas soy merchandise, minerals, ethanol, DDGs and cement additionally elevated.
“At Ports of Indiana, we’re privileged to companion with a gaggle of world-class firms that ship important cargoes to and from our regional economies,” mentioned Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “The dedication and onerous work of those companies is why Indiana ranks twelfth within the nation for maritime transport and why our maritime financial system is booming. The 2023 cargo volumes had been much more spectacular contemplating a number of the main challenges dealing with our trade this previous 12 months with low water ranges and lock closures.”
Indiana’s three-port system maintained substantial tonnages regardless of a number of components that challenged the U.S. inland maritime trade as a complete: an prolonged lock closure on the Illinois River, near-record low water ranges on the Mississippi River, and a weeklong work stoppage by Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway staff.
Ports of Indiana additionally skilled vital development in rail shipments throughout 2023, with rail carloads growing 28% 12 months over 12 months. All three ports elevated rail shipments as Mount Vernon led the way in which with 39,909 rail vehicles, a 42% enhance from 2022. Total, Ports of Indiana dealt with 65,141 rail vehicles in 2023.
The 2023 enterprise outcomes additionally point out that Ports of Indiana’s financial affect elevated 12 months over 12 months. A 2023 research discovered that Indiana’s three ports supported greater than 49,000 jobs and generated $8.7 billion yearly for the state’s financial system, $3.5 billion in annual wages, and $536 million in state and native taxes.
