PORTAGE | Nearly 30 massive beer fermentation tanks, each with a capacity of more than 20,000 gallons, voyaged from Germany to the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, where they were loaded on trucks and shipped to the new Lagunitas Brewing Co. brewery in Chicago last year.
The major shipment to one of the largest craft breweries in the United States was one of many last year at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, which just had the best year in its 44-year history and was so busy stevedores had to work longer hours, even on weekends.
Portage's deepwater port on Lake Michigan handled more tonnage last year than at any point since it first opened in 1970. The previous record had been set in 1994, when more than 3 million tons passed through. The total cargo in 2014 exceeded the previous record by 3 percent, spokesman Rich Allen said.
The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor’s 2014 total cargo tonnage exceeded 1994, the port’s highest year on record, by about three percent.
"It was a terrific year thanks to our port companies, steelmakers and businesses that use our port," said Rich Cooper, CEO for the Ports of Indiana. "Federal Marine Terminals, the port's terminal operator, and its labor force did a tremendous job handling the significant cargo increases that arrived at the port by ship and barge. They extended their work hours and even worked weekends on a number of occasions to meet customer expectations."
Shipments rose by more than 30 percent over 2013 as more steel, salt and grain came through the port. About 35 percent more ocean vessels docked at the port than did in 2013, and barges coming in from the Illinois and Mississippi rivers were up 25 percent. Those river systems give the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor access to 20 states and year-round access to international markets, since ocean vessels can come up through the Gulf of Mexico when the ice-choked St. Lawrence Seaway is closed during the winter.
Imports of steel were up by 37 percent last year, after domestic steelmakers tried to raise prices for the first time in years and a number of customers opted instead to buy foreign steel, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Steel exports were down 6 percent through the end of November. Steel made up about 40 percent of the port's total cargo last year.
"Steel going into the manufacturing sector was a key driver for the increase in port shipments," said Port Director Rick Heimann. "In 2013, the port handled its highest steel volume since 2006 and 2014's steel tonnage more than doubled the previous year's total. The port also handled over 500 barges in 2014 for the first time in several years."
Last year, NLMK invested $8 million to grow its steel mini-mill at the port, while Carmeuse Lime and Stone pumped $11 million into a facility at the port that processes limestone for Northwest Indiana's steel industry.
"The Ports of Indiana, Portage are critical to the entire Midwest's transportation infrastructure," Portage Mayor James Snyder said. "We are grateful for their success this year and believe they will continue to grow and Portage will provide them and their tenants with continued first class public safety, the best local economic development team and critical utility infrastructure."
The Indianapolis-based Ports of Indiana, which operates the Lake Michigan port and two ports on the Ohio River in southern Indiana, has invested $20 million on infrastructure over the last four years, according to a recently released survey by the U.S. Canadian Great Lakes maritime industry.
In 2013, the ports system invested more than $5.9 million in infrastructure projects, including a reconstruction of the main railroad line at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. About 1,900 feet of sanitary sewer pipe also was replaced, the harbor was dredged, and roads were paved. Dock walls were repaired, mooring bollards were rehabilitated, and security cameras were installed.
A total of $7 billion is being spent on infrastructure improvements at all the ports on the Great Lakes, the survey found. An estimated $4.7 billion had been invested by both the public and private sectors in ships, ports, terminals and waterway infrastructure between 2009 and 2013.
"The survey results quantify what the Great Lakes maritime industry has long suspected — that businesses are bullish on the future of the region's economy," said Steve Fisher, executive director of the American Great Lakes Ports Association. "Hundreds of individual companies have independently made the same decision — to risk capital and reinvest in the Great Lakes maritime industry. The monies being spent reflect a commitment to the health and safety of the workforce as well as the environment. New technology and equipment will ensure that cargo moves efficiently, sustainably, and safely."