- Where are Indiana's ports?
Indiana has one port on the southern tip of Lake Michigan in Portage which is 18 nautical miles east of Chicago and two ports on the Ohio River - one in Jeffersonville just across from Louisville, Ky., and one in Mount Vernon, 15 miles west of Evansville.
- How many ports are there in Indiana?
Indiana has three public ports - one on Lake Michigan and two on the Ohio River. In all, over 50 percent of the state's border is water, 400 miles of which is navigable by cargo vessels. Indiana ranks 14th among U.S. states in waterborne cargo traffic (over 70 million tons per year).
- Who operates Indiana's ports?
The Ports of Indiana is a quasi-governmental agency that operates a statewide system of three ports on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River. The Ports of Indiana operates as a business, independent from state funding, with a board of commissioners appointed by the governor. The Ports of Indiana generates its own operating budget from leases, dock fees and Foreign-Trade Zone licensing.
- How big are the ports?
Indiana's three ports cover 2,300 acres and serve as maritime industrial parks that are home to more than 60 commercial tenants. The ports range in size from 600 to 1,000 acres apiece.
- How many people work at the ports?
About 2,500 people work for the companies located within the Ports of Indiana facilities. More than 10,500 people have jobs related to the port activities. The Ports of Indiana operates the three ports with a 25-person staff.
- Where do the ports' cargos come from and go to?
Most of Ports of Indiana cargo is coming from or going to countries outside of North America. A small percentage is Canadian and just over a third is domestically oriented. More than half of the cargo shipments begin or end in a country across an ocean, such as England, China, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, France, Netherlands and beyond.
- How much cargo is shipped in and out of Indiana by water?
More than 70 million tons of cargo moves in and out of Indiana by water. As a state, Indiana ranks 14th in the country for waterborne tonnage. The Ports of Indiana handles over 6 million tons per year - approximately 2 million tons per port. The main cargos moving through the Ports of Indiana are steel, grain, coal, fertilizer, limestone, paper, containers, salt, cement, and heavy lift equipment. Other port cargos have included Indiana National Guard troops, restored World War II tanks, hay bails for drought-strickened farmers and an entire Boeing 727 airplane.
- What are Foreign-Trade Zones?
Foreign-Trade Zones are special designations given to areas that allow companies to postpone, reduce or eliminate duties on certain international products in the zone. While in an FTZ, materials can be stored, manufactured, processed, assembled, packaged or destroyed without being subject to U.S. duties until they leave the zone. The Ports of Indiana serves as a Foreign Trade Zone authority for the state of Indiana. In addition to maintaining FTZs at all three ports, the Ports of Indiana can grant FTZs or subzones for businesses all over the state.
- How do international shipments get to Indiana?
Indiana's port system receives ocean-going ships through the Great Lakes and barges via the Inland Waterway System. The Ports of Indiana is the only statewide port system that has ocean access via both the Great Lakes and inland river systems. The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor receives 1,000-foot ocean and lake vessels, as well as barges. The river ports in Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon only receive barges because of the shallow river channels. These ports send and receive international shipments that are transloaded with ships at Burns Harbor or New Orleans.
- What is the Indiana Port Commission?
The Port Commission is a seven-member, bipartisan board appointed to four-year terms by the governor to oversee the Ports of Indiana.
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