Terminal Operations: Indiana, Los Angeles

Metro Ports to Operate Bulk Terminal at Port of Indiana

The Ports of Indiana has designated stevedoring company Metro Ports the bulk terminal operator at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, effective July 1, 2017. Metro Ports will manage the loading and unloading cargo in the port’s East Harbor sector for the steelmaking, agricultural, manufacturing, energy and construction industries.

Ports of Indiana, the state’s port authority, owns and manages three public ports – Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan and Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville on the Ohio River – from its headquarters in Indianapolis.

Metro Ports is the brand used to collectively identify stevedoring affiliates of Metropolitan Stevedore Co. and its parent company, Nautilus International Holding Corp., both based in Long Beach (CA). Metro Ports operates at 27 U.S. ports on the East, West and Gulf coasts. Burns Harbor will be the company’s only Great Lakes operation.

In 2016, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor handled nearly 2.6 million tons of bulk and breakbulk cargo. In recent years, the Ports of Indiana has invested nearly $2.5 million into port infrastructure, including dredging and stabilization of two ship berths to increase dock capacity for Seaway draft vessels as well as replacement of 2,000 feet of rail track and rehabilitation of multiple rail turnouts. Additional investments are planned by the Ports of Indiana and Metro Ports to upgrade the bulk terminal.

"We’re honored to be selected as the bulk terminal operator at the Port of Indiana," said Michael Ferguson, president of Metro Ports. "We see tremendous potential here to leverage the port’s connections to ocean ships, Great Lakes vessels, river barges and multiple rail carriers, as well as the region’s powerful industrial base located within sight of downtown Chicago."

Aerial perspective of Ports of Indiana Burns Harbor. The West Harbor area where Metro Ports will be operating is in the left foreground.

Los Angeles Renews Chilean Fruit Terminal Lease with SSA Pacific

The Port of Los Angeles has approved a five-year lease extension that allows SSA Pacific, Inc., to continue operating a marine terminal that handles perishable fresh and frozen cargo from Chile.

For more than 25 years, Chilean growers have used the dedicated terminal to deliver fresh produce - primarily grapes, stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines and plums, and avocados – to consumer markets west of the Rockies and reaching into West Texas.

Located at Berths 53-55, the 14-acre break bulk terminal specializes in receiving refrigerated cargo ships and assembling, distributing, loading and unloading pallets of fresh Chilean fruit. The port’s network of refrigerated trucking services and cold storage facilities safeguard the perishable commodities in transit to grocers, produce markets and distribution centers.

The Chilean fresh fruit season extends from December to April. During the last season, the port received more than 82,000 metric tons of Chilean fresh fruit, or nearly one-fifth of all fruits and vegetables imported through Los Angeles.

Sailing directly from the Port of Valparaiso, reefer vessels provide optimal cooling and air circulation conditions during a voyage that typically lasts 12 days. Container ships deliver Chilean fruit to more U.S. ports, but the journey generally takes longer because of intermediate port stops.

SSA Pacific has operated the Los Angeles terminal since 1988, handling fruit and other agricultural products. The terminal has handled imported Chilean fruit exclusively for more than a decade.

"SSA Marine is pleased to continue the partnership with the Port of Los Angeles and provide a long-term home for the importation of high quality Chilean fruit," said William Fitz, regional vice president of SSA Marine.

The renewal extends SSA’s lease through October 31, 2022. The Los Angeles City Council is expected to finalize the agreement in the coming months.

SSA fruit terminal at Outer Harbor Berths 54/55 in the Port of Los Angeles
Photo/Port of Los Angeles