Ports of Indiana extends agreement for bulk cargo handling at Burns Harbor
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The Ports of Indiana and bulk cargo handling company Metro Ports have signed a five-year extension of their operating agreement at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor.
Metro Ports, one of the longest-operating stevedores in the United States, has managed bulk cargo handling at the Lake Michigan port for nearly a decade, the port authority said.
“Metro Ports has been an outstanding partner at Burns Harbor, and their continued leadership will be instrumental as we increase bulk cargo-handling capacity at the port,” Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock said in a news release. “Their decision to launch their first Great Lakes operation here in 2017 marked a pivotal moment for bulk-cargo growth at our port. Today, we’re proud to continue building on that success and strengthening Indiana’s role in global supply chains.”
Metro Ports is a brand of stevedoring affiliates of Metropolitan Stevedore Co. and its parent company, Nautilus International Holding Corp., both based in Long Beach, California.
The extension of the operating agreement comes amid increased shipments and ongoing expansion projects at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor.
Burns Harbor in 2024 handled 2.8 million tons of barge, laker and ocean cargo, up 5% from the prior year, helping to push volume shipments at Indiana’s three ports to the second highest year ever. The other two ports are in Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon on the Ohio River.
A $77 million multiyear expansion underway at Burns Harbor includes two bridge projects, three new ship berths, two railyards and an 84,000-square-foot bulk warehouse.
“Indiana offers a strong business environment, and we’re very optimistic about the opportunities at Burns Harbor,” Metro Ports President Lee Swietlikowski said in the release. “Ports of Indiana is making transformational investments in infrastructure, allowing us to expand capabilities and better serve the industrial and commercial markets across the Midwest. We are proud to be part of this forward-looking partnership.”