Posted on February 18, 2025
The Ports of Indiana shipped 13 million tons of cargo in 2024, the second-highest annual volume in the port authority’s 60-year history.
Last year was the fourth consecutive year of increased shipments, up 3% from 2023 and second best to 2018, which holds the record at 14.8 million tons, ports authority officials said in a press release.
In 2024, public and private investments into Indiana’s three ports totaled over $200 million, including four expansions by companies located at the ports, three new companies opening at the ports, and six federal grant projects supporting infrastructure upgrades, said port authority officials in a press release.
Ports of Indiana also opened the Indiana River & Rails Terminals in 2024, which is the largest general cargo operation on the Ohio River. Opening new terminals increased the cargo shipments by 48% at the Mount Vernon port and 12% at Jeffersonville.
Mount Vernon port had the most shipments at 6.6 million tons last year, which is 2% less than 2023 but 32% above the last four-year average. Jeffersonville port handled 3.6 million tons, up 10% from 2023, and Burns Harbor handled 2.8 million tons of barge, laker and ocean cargo, up 5% from 2023.
In 2024, coal was the highest volume commodity at 3.7 million tons, up by 246,000 tons from 2023. Steel was the second highest volume commodity, increasing by 140,000 tons for a total of 2.9 million tons in 2024, port authority officials said. Road salt also contributed to the tonnage increase in 2024, with 80,000 tons more of it being shipped than in 2023.
Dried distillers grains had the highest percentage increase of 1,773%, due to the Jeffersonville port’s opening of a high-speed bulk terminal in 2024.
Mount Vernon Railroad, a venture by the Ports of Indiana and OmniTRAX, offers daily interchange services to the Mount Vernon port location with Evansville Western Railway and has connections with CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway, BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad.
Jeffersonville is served by the Louisville and Indiana Railroad, with CSX and NS maintaining switching yards nearby.
Burns Harbor is served by NS, with the Burns Harbor Railroad providing switching services. Additionally, the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad interchanges daily with 16 rail carriers in the Chicago area.
