JEFFERSONVILLE: The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville handled more than 2.2 million tons of cargo in 2016, down from 2.8 million tons the previous year. Despite the drop, the Ports of Indiana says the annual shipping total was 17 percent higher than the previous five-year average. The 2016 tonnage completed the highest three-year total in the port’s history and marks the third consecutive year the port exceeded two million tons of cargo. The Ports of Indiana says major cargoes at the Jeffersonville port included steel, grain and fertilizer.
“The continued strength of the automotive sector along with steady improvement in building construction fueled our solid results in 2016,” said Port Director Scott Stewart. “Add to that the first installment of the infrastructure bonanza in and around the port was also completed in 2016. The December opening of the Lewis & Clark Bridge links southern Indiana to Louisville and beyond and greatly enhances the port’s connectivity to the region’s manufacturing sector, including Ford’s Kentucky truck plant in Louisville which is now only 15 minutes away.”
Steel shipments at the port were the second highest in its history. In 2016, South Korea-based steel producer POSCO (NYSE: PKX) announced plans to build a wire rod processing center at the port, creating up to 60 jobs by 2018. The Ports of Indiana says maritime operations at the Jeffersonville port generate nearly $2 billion per year in economic activity. Earlier this week, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor also reported its highest three-year total in history.
