Release Date: 06/11/2007

PORTAGE, Ind. – About 11,000 tons of Indiana-made steel headed for Spain aboard the Julietta on June 11. The ship was loaded at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor with hot-rolled steel coils from Mittal Steel in East Chicago, Ind.

This is the first export shipment of steel through the Port of Indiana since 2005. There were a few export steel shipments between 2003 and 2005 – just over 55,000 tons total. In 1995, the port handled an all-time high 243,000 tons of exported steel.

The shipment is destined for Pasajes, Spain. Federal Marine Terminals, which serves as the port's general cargo stevedore, will load the vessel today and tomorrow.

"Historically, the majority of steel moving through the port is imported from European countries," said Ian Hirt, general manger of Federal Marine Terminals, "but changing market conditions and a weak U.S. dollar can trigger export opportunities. There is a possibility for more export shipments this year."

Since the Port of Indiana also has year-round access to the inland river system, it does ship out some steel by barge which can eventually be exported to world markets after it is transloaded to ocean-going vessels in or around New Orleans.

The Port of Indiana generally handles more ocean-going cargo than any other U.S. Great Lakes port and about 15 percent of all U.S. steel trade with Europe. In 2006, the port set a new record with $584 million in steel shipments, up 57 percent from 2005. Sharing boundaries with two of the largest steel mills in the country, this port handles a wide range of steel-related cargoes.

All three of Indiana's ports on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River set individual records for total shipments in 2006 – Mount Vernon: $482 million (+20%), Jeffersonville: $588 million (+30%) and Burns Harbor/Portage: $820 million (+21%). Overall, the Ports of Indiana set a new record of $1.89 billion of cargo handled in 2006. This was a 23-percent increase from 2005, which had been the previous 36-year high.

Media Contact: Jody Peacock - (317) 233-6225 or jpeacock@portsofindiana.com