Highlights: Ports of Indiana/Burns Harbor
“Hwy H2O HIGHLIGHTS†focuses on our member ports and companies throughout the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System with stories that highlight innovative and interesting cargo movements; changes and improvements that ports and companies are making to create greater opportunity, and/or member insights on the latest market trends.
Highlights: Ports of Indiana/Burns Harbor
The Ports of Indiana handled 8.1 million tons of cargo at its three ports on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River in 2011. This was the largest annual tonnage since 2006. “Despite continued economic uncertainties, this was the fourth consecutive year the ports experienced growth†remarked Rich Cooper, CEO for the Ports of Indiana. He added that “2011 shipments were nearly a million tons higher than the five year averageâ€. These increased tonnage results earned the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor the prestigious Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for the 2011 navigation season. This annual award is presented to U.S. Great Lakes ports that register an increase in international cargo tonnage shipped through the Seaway during the previous navigation season. The port has earned this award 9 times (1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2010).
The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor also welcomed 3 new companies in the last month and has another company working on a major expansion. Â Listed below are the three new companies joining the port:
Ratner Steel Supply Co., a producer of steel products, recently announced plans to locate a new facility at the port, creating up to 30 new jobs by 2015. The Roseville, Minn.-based company, which produces steel sheets and plates, will invest $14.25 million to build and equip a 102,000 square-foot steel service facility located at the Lake Michigan port. Construction on the facility will begin later this month with the facility slated to be operational in early 2013.
Phoenix Services – One of the fastest growing companies in the country is opening a state-of-the-art slag processing and distribution facility at the port. Phoenix Services recently signed a multi-year contract with ArcelorMittal to provide slag and processing services for the Burns Harbor steel giant. Phoenix Services has opened a 13-acre distribution facility at the port and is installing processing equipment at various locations throughout the ArcelorMittal complex.
P.I. & I. Motor Express has opened a new facility at the portto provide transportation services for the steel industry and exclusively for NLMK. P.I. & I. has signed a multi-year agreement with NLMK to haul steel coils from the port facility to customers throughout the Midwest and will be staging trucks in a neighboring three-acre facility.
Keep up to date on news and events at the Ports of Indiana. Visit their website at www.portsofindiana.com or take a read through of some of the recent press releases listed below:
- Phoenix Services opens slag processing facility at Port of Indiana
- Port of Indiana welcomes first ocean vessel of 2012
- DNR releases 70,000 brown trout at Port of Indiana
- Port of Indiana earns ninth international shipping award
- Ratner Steel to locate new facility at Port of Indiana
- Port of Indiana handles first January lake vessel in five years
- Ports of Indiana handles largest annual tonnage in five years
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