Port Traffic Metrics: Hamilton, Indiana–Mount Vernon, Longview
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Hamilton Port Cargo Topped 9 Million Tons in 2016
During the 2016 shipping season, the Port of Hamilton received 562 vessels carrying 9,277,282 metric tons of cargo, a 0.4 percent increase from 2015 and the most of any Canadian Great Lakes port. Agriculture, the steel sector, bulk liquids and heavy lift were the primary cargo categories.
Agriculture continued to account for a large and growing share of the port’s cargo mix – 20.7 percent in 2016, up from 18.3 percent the year before and just 6 percent a decade ago. Commodities such as Ontario-grown corn, wheat and soybeans, and crop inputs such as fertilizer and potash made up the 2016 agricultural cargo total of 1,916,535 tons.
The port’s stake in Ontario’s agri-food sector will expand in 2017, with the startup of G3 Canada Ltd.’s 50,000 MT capacity grain export terminal and Parrish & Heimbecker’s a new flour mill.
"We’ve seen terrific momentum in the past several years, as new terminal investments have increased our capacity to get crops from Ontario farms to global markets efficiently," said Ian Hamilton, president & CEO of the Hamilton Port Authority. "With these new developments on the horizon, we expect the growth trend to continue."
Steel sector commodities such as iron ore and metallurgical coal generated 5,961,715 tons of cargo, a 1.9 percent drop year/on/year. Positive performances by ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Federal Marine Terminals offsetting a tonnage decline at Hamilton’s Stelco facility. Finish steel imports rose to a five-year high of 509,087 tons.
The port also handled 394,000 metric tons of liquid bulk commodities. That was up 17.1 percent compared to 2015 and included gasoline for southern Ontario consumer gas stations, jet fuel for the airport, and asphalt for area roads.
The Port of Hamilton also serves as a strategic location for the import and export of machinery and components for Ontario’s manufacturing and energy sectors. Measured in cubic meters (m3), these include heavy-lift items such as windmill blades and heavy equipment. More than 52,000 m3 transited the port in 2016, exceeding the five-year average by 6.7 percent.
The Port of Hamilton is one of Ontario’s key multimodal hubs. More than 6,200 rail cars transited the port in 2016, 15.2 percent more than 2015, following a steady growth trend over the past five years. "We’re focused on delivering modal choice, efficiency and competitiveness to port users, helping Ontario industries thrive and our community prosper," said Mr. Hamilton.
Indiana-Mount Vernon Sets Quarterly Tonnage Record
The Ohio River Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled nearly 2.5 million tons of cargo during fourth quarter 2016. That shattered the port’s record set in the final quarter of 2014 and made October-December 2016 the highest volume quarter in Ports of Indiana history.
"Coal shipments surged during the fourth quarter giving 2016 the highest annual coal tonnage in the port’s history," said Port Director Phil Wilzbacher. "Alliance Coal seized an opportunity to ship coal from its Southern Indiana and Illinois mines through its port terminal to export markets, contributing significantly to the record fourth quarter."
The port finished 2016 with 6.4 million tons, up 34 percent from its previous five-year average and second only to the record 6.6 million tons in 2015. Coal, grain, soy products, ethanol, dried distiller grains (DDGs), minerals and fertilizer were the principal cargoes in 2016. In addition, salt shipments were up 32 percent. Talc and barite, minerals used in the manufacture of plastics and other products, together rose 23 percent.
Two port companies announced or completed major expansions in 2016. Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. announced it would invest more than $31 million to increase its soybean processing capabilities. CGB’s location allows for multiple logistics options, including inbound and outbound barge, rail and truck transportation. About 60 percent of the facility’s tonnage moves via barge.
Valero Renewable Fuels Co., a producer of ethanol and a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp., completed a multi-million dollar project at the port that provided new corn receiving equipment and a new DDG dryer system.
The port handled approximately 3,300 barges, 140,000 trucks, and 40,000 railcars in 2016.
The port serves Southwest Indiana and the entire Evansville metropolitan area, Indiana’s third largest city. Port customers can to connect with five Class I railroads and with barge lines that transload Indiana cargoes to and from ocean vessels in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon contributes over $1 billion in total economic activity per year and supports 7,200 total jobs. The port’s tenant companies ship cargo to or from 44 states and 20 countries and the port currently has 600 acres available for development.
Mount Vernon is one of three public ports owned and managed by the state port authority, Ports of Indiana, from its headquarters in Indianapolis. The others include the deepwater port of Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan and a second Ohio River facility, Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville. The state is weighing the feasibility of a fourth public port.
Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon
Photo/Ports of Indiana
During the 2016 shipping season, the Port of Hamilton received 562 vessels carrying 9,277,282 metric tons of cargo, a 0.4 percent increase from 2015 and the most of any Canadian Great Lakes port. Agriculture, the steel sector, bulk liquids and heavy lift were the primary cargo categories.
Agriculture continued to account for a large and growing share of the port’s cargo mix – 20.7 percent in 2016, up from 18.3 percent the year before and just 6 percent a decade ago. Commodities such as Ontario-grown corn, wheat and soybeans, and crop inputs such as fertilizer and potash made up the 2016 agricultural cargo total of 1,916,535 tons.
The port’s stake in Ontario’s agri-food sector will expand in 2017, with the startup of G3 Canada Ltd.’s 50,000 MT capacity grain export terminal and Parrish & Heimbecker’s a new flour mill.
"We’ve seen terrific momentum in the past several years, as new terminal investments have increased our capacity to get crops from Ontario farms to global markets efficiently," said Ian Hamilton, president & CEO of the Hamilton Port Authority. "With these new developments on the horizon, we expect the growth trend to continue."
Steel sector commodities such as iron ore and metallurgical coal generated 5,961,715 tons of cargo, a 1.9 percent drop year/on/year. Positive performances by ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Federal Marine Terminals offsetting a tonnage decline at Hamilton’s Stelco facility. Finish steel imports rose to a five-year high of 509,087 tons.
The port also handled 394,000 metric tons of liquid bulk commodities. That was up 17.1 percent compared to 2015 and included gasoline for southern Ontario consumer gas stations, jet fuel for the airport, and asphalt for area roads.
The Port of Hamilton also serves as a strategic location for the import and export of machinery and components for Ontario’s manufacturing and energy sectors. Measured in cubic meters (m3), these include heavy-lift items such as windmill blades and heavy equipment. More than 52,000 m3 transited the port in 2016, exceeding the five-year average by 6.7 percent.
The Port of Hamilton is one of Ontario’s key multimodal hubs. More than 6,200 rail cars transited the port in 2016, 15.2 percent more than 2015, following a steady growth trend over the past five years. "We’re focused on delivering modal choice, efficiency and competitiveness to port users, helping Ontario industries thrive and our community prosper," said Mr. Hamilton.
Indiana-Mount Vernon Sets Quarterly Tonnage Record
The Ohio River Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled nearly 2.5 million tons of cargo during fourth quarter 2016. That shattered the port’s record set in the final quarter of 2014 and made October-December 2016 the highest volume quarter in Ports of Indiana history.
"Coal shipments surged during the fourth quarter giving 2016 the highest annual coal tonnage in the port’s history," said Port Director Phil Wilzbacher. "Alliance Coal seized an opportunity to ship coal from its Southern Indiana and Illinois mines through its port terminal to export markets, contributing significantly to the record fourth quarter."
The port finished 2016 with 6.4 million tons, up 34 percent from its previous five-year average and second only to the record 6.6 million tons in 2015. Coal, grain, soy products, ethanol, dried distiller grains (DDGs), minerals and fertilizer were the principal cargoes in 2016. In addition, salt shipments were up 32 percent. Talc and barite, minerals used in the manufacture of plastics and other products, together rose 23 percent.
Two port companies announced or completed major expansions in 2016. Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. announced it would invest more than $31 million to increase its soybean processing capabilities. CGB’s location allows for multiple logistics options, including inbound and outbound barge, rail and truck transportation. About 60 percent of the facility’s tonnage moves via barge.
Valero Renewable Fuels Co., a producer of ethanol and a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp., completed a multi-million dollar project at the port that provided new corn receiving equipment and a new DDG dryer system.
The port handled approximately 3,300 barges, 140,000 trucks, and 40,000 railcars in 2016.
The port serves Southwest Indiana and the entire Evansville metropolitan area, Indiana’s third largest city. Port customers can to connect with five Class I railroads and with barge lines that transload Indiana cargoes to and from ocean vessels in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon contributes over $1 billion in total economic activity per year and supports 7,200 total jobs. The port’s tenant companies ship cargo to or from 44 states and 20 countries and the port currently has 600 acres available for development.
Mount Vernon is one of three public ports owned and managed by the state port authority, Ports of Indiana, from its headquarters in Indianapolis. The others include the deepwater port of Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan and a second Ohio River facility, Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville. The state is weighing the feasibility of a fourth public port.
Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon
Photo/Ports of Indiana
Longview: Cargo Surged to Record Levels in 2016
The Port of Longview moved more than 8.3 million metric tons of cargo across the dock in 2016 - the most in the last three decades and a nearly 30 percent increase from the 6.4 million tons handled in 2015.
The driving force behind last year’s surge was the EGT grain terminal, which accounted for nearly 6.0 million tons of primarily wheat, soybeans and corn cargo. That gave EGT its best year since coming on-line in 2012.
"This is precisely the tonnage outcome we were aiming for when EGT signed on at the Port of Longview," said Longview Port CEO Norm Krehbiel. "EGT utilizes key infrastructure, such as the port’s dedicated Industrial Rail Corridor and our position on the deep-draft navigation channel, designed to efficiently move bulk commodities for the benefit of the entire region."
It was strong year, too, for breakbulk, thanks to a resurgence of wind energy components, coupled with project cargo.
The port foresees another successful cargo year in 2017.
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