Ports of Indiana on Feb. 13 reported shipping 13 million tons of cargo in 2024, the second-highest annual volume in its 60-year history. Cargo shipments at the statewide port authority’s rail-served Burns Harbor, Mount Vernon, and Jeffersonville ports increased for the fourth straight year; they were up 3% from 2023 and came in second best to the pre-pandemic 2018 record of 14.8 million tons.
For overall shipments, the Mount Vernon port on the Ohio River led the way with 6.6 million tons, 2% below 2023’s total but 32% above the previous four-year average, according to the Ports of Indiana. The Jeffersonville port on the Ohio River handled 3.6 million tons, up 10% from 2023, and the Burns Harbor facility on on Lake Michigan handled 2.8 million tons of barge, laker, and ocean cargo, up 5% from the prior year.
The highest-volume commodities moving through Indiana’s ports last year were coal (3.7 million tons) and steel (2.9 million tons), followed by grain, soy products, fertilizer, minerals, ethanol, road salt, and DDGs (dried distillers grains). According to Ports of Indiana, the largest overall increases came from steel (+246,000 tons), coal (+140,000 tons), and road salt (+80,000 tons), which was shipped at record levels during recent winter storms.
The largest percent increase was DDGs at Jeffersonville, which were up 1,773% due to the opening of the port’s new high-speed bulk terminal operated by Consolidated Grain & Barge, Ports of Indiana said. Other major increases included slag (+74%), salt (+44%) and steel (+14%) at Burns Harbor; salt (+17%), grain (+12%) and oils (+12%) at Jeffersonville; and salt (+48%), cement (+17%), and steel (+14%) at Mount Vernon.
Ports of Indiana reported that public and private investments into its three ports totaled more than $200 million in 2024, including four company expansions, such as Tanco Terminals investing $8.2 million for growth at Burns Harbor; three new companies locating at the ports, including United Steel Supply LLC’s $10 million investment to open a steel processing and painting facility at Jeffersonville; and six federal grant projects supporting critical infrastructure investments, including an $11.249 million grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration to construct a rail yard and transload facility at Mount Vernon. Ports of Indiana also launched Indiana River & Rail Terminals in 2024, which it said is the largest general cargo operation on the Ohio River. The new venture, it added, helped increase the terminals’ annual cargo shipments by 48% at Mount Vernon and 12% at Jeffersonville.
Also in 2024, OmniTRAX was selected as the exclusive rail operator at Mount Vernon and on Aug. 1 began providing switching, sorting and other services. The 8.2-mile Mount Vernon Railroad (see map above) coordinates rail connections and assembles outbound trains for interchange with the Evansville Western Railway (see map below), which provides direct access to BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
“We have world-class companies operating at our three ports, and their increased use of our barge, ship, and rail services is a good indicator for Indiana’s economy,” Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock said. “Agriculture products, coal, and steel-related shipments made up about 85% of our cargo in 2024, which demonstrates our ports’ critical role in the manufacturing, energy and ag sectors. We’re pleased to see our ports have increased shipments by 50% since 2020, but our team is focused on investing in the future and making sure our facilities can support the growing needs of Indiana’s economy.”
According to Ports of Indiana, a 2023 economic impact study conducted by the maritime economist Martin Associates found that its business activities support more than 49,000 jobs and generate $8.7 billion annually for the state’s economy, including $3.5 billion in annual wages and $536 million in state and local taxes.
