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Port Traffic Statistics: Indiana-Jeffersonville, Philadelphia

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Indiana: Jeffersonville Port Sets Quarterly Shipping Record

The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville recorded the highest quarterly shipments in its 30-year history during the first quarter of 2015. Cargo volume at the Ohio River port exceeded 800,000 tons, a 10-percent increase from the previous record set in the first quarter 2014, thanks in part to a 30 percent jump in fertilizer shipments and a more than doubling of steel tonnage. Potash alone skyrocketed 70 percent, while grain volumes remained steady. 

"The strong start to 2015 is testimony to this port's connection to international markets and the diverse portfolio of companies which are leaders in their respective business categories," said Port Director Scott Stewart. "High-performing steel processors, a leading grain and transportation services company and efficient barge loading and unloading capabilities combine to make this port one of the region's top economic assets." 

An important factor in the port’s growth was the addition in 2014 of Mill Steel Co. to the port's "Steel Campus." Mill Steel's flat-rolled service center began shipping steel to customers last June. Long-time port steel processors Voss Clark, Steel Dynamics and Metals USA also invested in their facilities last year to accelerate line speeds and increase capabilities. 

Located within the Louisville metropolitan area, with year-round barge service, the port now has 28 tenant companies and 316 acres of industrial sites available for businesses that rely on multimodal connectivity for receiving inbound raw materials and shipping outbound finished products.

The port is one of three owned and managed by the state port authority, Ports of Indiana, from its headquarters in Indianapolis. The others are Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan and Mount Vernon on the Ohio River.

Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville
Photo/Ports of Indiana 

Philadelphia: First-Quarter Gains for All Major Cargo Categories

First quarter data reported by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) point to across-the-board gains by every major cargo category. That includes containers, steel, forest products, cocoa beans, project cargo, ro/ro, and liquid bulk. These increases follow the port’s record performance in 2014 (Advisory, February 4, 2015), suggesting that another record year may be in the offing.

The port’s container trade posted increases from first quarter 2014 of 2.3 percent in box movements (to 100,203 TEUs) and 5.8 percent in cargo (to 684,360 metric tons).  

Among break bulk cargoes, steel accounted for 105,398 tons ( 1.2 percent), fruit for 66,390 tons ( 16.7 percent), forest products for 162,879 tons ( 35.0 percent), cocoa beans for 45,859 tons ( 19 percent), and project cargo for 11,380 tons ( 21.7 percent).

Positive growth also occurred in the port’s ro/ro trade, which consists primarily of Hyundai and Kia automobiles imported via South Philadelphia for distribution to dealerships throughout the United States. The port moved 36,683 autos during the first quarter, an increase from last year of 2.3 percent. Liquid bulks increased by 1.5 percent to 337,748 tons.

"Our latest cargo figures are gratifying to see," said PRPA Chairman Jerry Sweeney. "Not only do they once again show healthy gains when comparing the same periods of this year and last year, but they also show, for the first time in a long while, that all cargo sectors showed growth, not just some or even most. This is truly a testament to our terminal operators, the logistics industry that surrounds them, our dedicated labor force, and our staff at PRPA, all of whom work together to make this port as efficient and successful as it can be."


A container vessel discharges cargo at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in April 2015.
Photo/Amanda Prinski, Philadelphia Regional Port Authority
 

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