Ports of Indiana tonnage up 2% in 2005

Ports of Indiana tonnage up 2% in 2005    The Ports of Indiana’s three ports on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River handled a combined 7.7 million tons of cargo in 2005, up 2 percent over 2004.
   The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled nearly 3.8 million tons, a rise of 13 percent over 2004. Steel tonnage soared 45 percent, with coal tonnage up 21 percent and grain rising 8 percent.
   The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor reported 2.2 million tons for the year, up 2 percent compared to 2004. The main increases came from magnesite (up 166 percent), cottonseed (up 113 percent), asphalt (up 111 percent), fertilizer (up 57 percent), and limestone (up 33 percent).
   The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville moved 1.6 million tons, the same as 2004. The port witnessed a major increase in asphalt tonnage, which rose 956 percent.