Metro Ports to operate Indiana-Burns Harbor

Stevedoring company Metro Ports will become the bulk terminal operator for the Ports of Indiana’s Burns Harbor operation, effective July 1.    Stevedoring company Metro Ports will become the bulk terminal operator for the Ports of Indiana’s Burns Harbor operation, effective July 1, the company said in a statement.
   Metro Ports will manage the loading and unloading of shipments along the port’s East Harbor for port tenants and outside companies shipping bulk cargoes for steel making, agricultural, manufacturing, energy and construction industries.
   In 2016, Burns Harbor handled nearly 2.6 million tons of cargo, completing the highest three-year total in the port’s history. In addition, the Ports of Indiana invested about $2.5 million into port infrastructure, including dredging and stabilizing two ship berths to increase dock capacity for handling St. Lawrence Seaway-draft vessels, as well as replacing 2,000 feet of rail track and rehabilitation of multiple rail turnouts.
   More investments are planned by the port authority and Metro Ports to upgrade the bulk terminal to increase the port’s throughput capacity.
   “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,” said Michael Ferguson, president of Metro Ports. “Indiana was the obvious choice for us to expand our business into the Midwest and establish a Great Lakes presence.”
   Metro Ports, whose parent corporation is Nautilus International Holding Corp., is based in Long Beach, Calif.