The Ports of Indiana’s shipments during the first nine months of the year increased more than 10 percent compared to 2016.
Total tons reached more than 8.1 million, the second highest rate since the port authority was founded.
Increased shipments of coal, ethanol, fertilizer, and steel are attributed to this growth.
The Ports of Indiana operates three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan.
Burns Harbor handled two million tons through September. Ship and barge traffic increased 20 percent and total shipments grew nearly 11 percent. Grain shipments jumped nearly 14 percent, oils 40 percent and steel cargoes nearly 49 percent.
The port’s best-know shipment was the multi-million dollar liquid argon particle hunter ICARUS, which registered 1,500 tweets as it traveled to Indiana from Geneva, Switzerland.
Jeffersonville reached more than 1.6 million tons, 9 percent higher than the previous five-year average. The port is forecasted to reach more than two million tons of cargo for the fourth-consecutive year.
Mount Vernon spiked 15 percent to more than 4.5 million tons and is expected to surpass more than 6 million tons for the third-consecutive year.
Coal shipments grew 31 percent, minerals 32 percent, ethanol 34 percent, fertilizer 49 percent, and salt 54 percent.