The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon recorded the highest quarterly shipments by any port in Ports of Indiana’s over 50-plus year history during the first quarter of 2015. This was the second consecutive quarter the port broke this record. First quarter shipments increased three percent over the fourth quarter of 2014 and were up 48 percent over 2014’s first quarter. A key driver for the high volumes was a 36 percent increase in grain shipments.
“Being located in the most fertile agricultural region in the world, grain is one of the largest volume commodities handled through the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon,” said Phil Wilzbacher, Port Director. “On an annual basis, port companies trade or process approximately 75 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat.
During the first quarter, Consolidated Grain and Barge handled a significant increase in corn shipments. CGB is a very progressive grain trading business and our partnership with this company continues to grow even after more than 30 years.”
Grain volumes were helped in part by the record harvest of 2014 while fertilizer and steel shipments were up 16 percent and 10 percent, respectively. In addition, mineral and magnetite volumes increased significantly. Coal shipments handled by Alliance Coal also remained strong during the first quarter, up significantly from the first quarter of 2014 and accounted for just over half of the port’s total shipments.
Located on the Ohio River in Southwest Indiana near Evansville, the port is a multimodal hub connecting the Midwest to world markets with year-round routes to the Gulf of Mexico, over 20 states and the Great Lakes via the U.S. Inland Waterways System.
The port also provides connections to five Class I railroads and ocean vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. Current port companies ship cargo to or from 20 countries and 44 states.
Mount Vernon is ranked as the seventh largest port district on the Inland Waterways System. The port recently expanded and now has 600 acres available for development by companies that would benefit from its multimodal connections.
