Release Date: 9/08/2010

PORTAGE, Ind. - The new Polish vessel "Miedwie" arrived at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor this morning on its first trip into the Great Lakes. Carrying breakbulk cargo from the Port of Ijmuiden in the Netherlands, the ship will be unloaded today by workers from port terminal operator Federal Marine Terminals, the International Longshoremen's Association and the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Operated by Polsteam, the Miedwie is making several stops along the Great Lakes on its first trip into the St. Lawrence Seaway system, including Milwaukee, Cleveland and Duluth. C&M Shipping Inc. was the steamship agent that coordinated the vessel logistics for this shipment. The cargo delivered to the port included 8,700 tons of steel for local manufacturing companies, and it will next load 20,000 tons of wheat in Duluth for the return trip to Europe.

Polsteam, the largest Polish shipowner and one of the largest in Europe, operates 75 ships, including 67 bulk carriers, four sulfur carriers and four ferries. The company has announced plans to build 34 new bulk cargo carriers by 2015.

Captained by Tamasz Molenda, the Miedwie is a 30,000 ton vessel that was built in the Mingde shipyard in Nantong, China, not far from Shanghai. The Miedwie was launched in late March and is the first ship out of a series of eight new Great Lakes vessels that Polsteam has ordered.

Media should contact the Ports of Indiana for port access and for potential interviews with the ship's captain, who will likely be available today at the port until 5 p.m. (central time).

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