Jeffersonville Harbor is one of three major ports Indiana imported and exported through in 2024, setting a near-record in volumes shipped and continuing a four-year increase. Photo by Ports of Indiana.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Ports of Indiana shipped 13 million tons of cargo in 2024, the second-highest annual volume in the port authority’s 60-year history. Cargo shipments increased during the fourth straight year for the statewide port authority, up 3% from 2023 and second best to the 2018 record of 14.8 million tons.

“We have world-class companies operating at our three ports, and their increased use of our barge, ship, and rail services is a good indicator for Indiana’s economy,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “Agriculture products, coal, and steel-related shipments made up about 85% of our cargo in 2024, which demonstrates our ports’ critical role in the manufacturing, energy, and ag sectors.”

Public and private investments into Indiana’s three ports totaled more than $200 million in 2024, including four company expansions, three new companies locating at the ports and six federal grant projects supporting critical infrastructure investments.

Ports of Indiana also launched Indiana River & Rail Terminals in 2024, which is the largest general cargo operation on the Ohio River. The company received its biggest federal grant ever, at $16 million, to build a new rail yard. The new venture helped increase the terminals’ annual cargo shipments by 48% at Mount Vernon and 12% at Jeffersonville.

Also announced in 2024 was a memorandum of understanding between the Ports of Indiana and the Port of Cork in Ireland, which would explore the establishment of express container shipping between the two. Shipments totaling $20.9 billion were imported from Ireland in 2024, making the country Indiana’s largest importer.

The highest-volume commodities moving through Indiana’s ports were coal, at 3.7 million tons and steel, 2.9 million tons, followed by grain, soy products, fertilizer, minerals, ethanol, road salt and dried distillers grains.

According to a 2023 economic impact study conducted by the leading maritime economist, Martin Associates, Ports of Indiana’s business activities support more than 49,000 jobs and generate $8.7 billion annually for the state’s economy, including $3.5 billion in annual wages and $536 million in state and local taxes.