Ports of Indiana
Indiana River & Rail Terminals recently managed the barge-to-truck transload of some delicate oversized cargo at Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon destined for a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing facility under construction in central Indiana.
As the largest general cargo operation on the Ohio River, Indiana River & Rail Terminals “plays a critical role in supporting Indiana’s economy through the multimodal handling of steel, project cargo and a variety of breakbulk commodities,” the Port said.
The shipment consisted of two 51-ton specialized tanks, built in the Houston metro area, which, the Port says, “will play an integral role in the manufacture of medications at a pharmaceutical research, development and production campus under construction near Lebanon, Ind., 35 minutes northwest of Indianapolis.”
The tanks’ 44-foot by 18-foot dimensions and weight made overland shipping financially and logistically impractical, the Port noted. So, the company’s transportation provider, Barnhart, arranged for the barge shipment to Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon. The tanks were carefully braced and loaded in a standard 195-by-35-foot barge for the move from Texas to Mount Vernon via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Mississippi River and Ohio River. Upon arrival, Indiana River & Rail Terminals transloaded each tank onto Barnhart specialized heavy-haul trucks for the final leg.
“Our team utilized the same expertise, operational skill and care for transloading this cargo that they do for every customer, no matter the commodity,” said Shane Davenport, Terminal Manager for Indiana River & Rail Terminals. “However, we took some extra pride from this knowing that this equipment will aide in creating medications that can improve thousands of lives for many years to come.”
Established in 2024, Indiana River & Rail Terminals is a joint venture between Ports of Indiana and Superior River Terminals Indiana, a general cargo stevedore operating at Ports of Indiana’s Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville facilities.
“Barnhart chose Indiana River & Rail at Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville to handle Lebanon-bound materials earlier this year, and we’re very happy to have Mount Vernon’s heavy-duty capabilities play a role in this historic expansion of Indiana’s pharmaceutical industry,” said Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon Port Director Jason May. “Indiana River & Rail Terminals has quickly built a reputation for safe, reliable and efficient logistics management across the full spectrum of commodities for Fortune 500 and family-owned small businesses alike, and we’re proud to serve so many Indiana job-creators while growing the state’s economy.”
Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka and ILWU Local 13 President Gary Herrera recently participated in a national oral history project about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two leaders were invited to share their collective memories by StoryCorps, a non-profit organization which preserves stories for the United States Library of Congress American Folklife Center.
During a wide-ranging 40-minute conversation (listen here), Seroka and Herrera exchanged memories from their unique vantage points five years after one of the most impactful global events of the 21st century: the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two leaders shared the sense of duty they felt, not only to keep one of America’s most vital economic engines running, but to be present for their respective workforces and surrounding communities.
“No one knew what we were capable of until we were put to the test,” Seroka said during the conversation. “The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic is a rare cultural benchmark and the opportunity to share the stories of our resilient workforce here at the Port of Los Angeles. How we took care of each other and kept each other safe while keeping essential cargo moving is an honor we don’t take lightly.”
“It was a very proud moment during a very scary time,” said Herrera. “The men and women of the ILWU never stopped. In 100 years, if someone was to look back on what we did, they’re going to think we were amazing, but we just did what needed to be done.”
Founded in 2003, StoryCorps has collected and preserved conversations from more than 630,000 participants across the country and shares many of the stories through a weekly NPR podcast, as well as animated shorts, books and digital platforms.
