7-million-bushel multimodal facility to have first new operator in 44 years
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The facility has been operated by Cargill since 1979 but the company
announced it is changing its business model in the region and will relinquish
the facility to the port as of June 1. Ports of Indiana originally financed the
construction of Cargill’s facility in 1979 and, through the years, the terminal
has exported more than 500 million bushels of corn and soybeans to world
markets. The terminal can handle ocean vessels transiting the Great Lakes,
1,000-foot lake vessels, year-round barge traffic via the inland river system
and unit trains from nearly all Class I railroads.
“It’s the end of an era and a new beginning for one of the largest
international ag terminals on the Great Lakes,” said Ryan McCoy, port director
for Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor. “It’s bittersweet for me because I worked at
that facility for 10 years and Cargill has been a great partner for the Ports
of Indiana and the local community. However, this change also creates a unique
opportunity to reimagine the facility and expand its capabilities going
forward.”
The grain elevator terminal includes 7.2 million bushels of storage
facilities and high-speed loading capacities that can load 90,000 bushels per
hour into an ocean vessel and unload 30,000 bushels per hour from a unit train,
which are industry leading capacities even today. Ports of Indiana will assume
possession of the facility and is currently looking for a long-term partner to
help grow shipments at the port.
The RFQ seeks qualifications from companies interested in operating the
ag terminal. Responses are due April 21. Ports of Indiana will issue a formal
Request for Proposals in May to all qualified companies.
“We’re excited about the next chapter for this terminal,” McCoy said.
“We have received multiple inquiries from companies interested in expanding the
facility. This is a unique deep-water terminal with tremendous capabilities for
shipping grain, DDGs and many bulk cargoes to and from ocean vessels at the
Heartland of America. It’s not every day that this type of facility becomes
available.”
The Burns Harbor port opened in 1970, is home to more than 30 companies,
and handles approximately 3 million tons of cargo per year. Currently, the port
is developing a $32 million facilities expansion funded by two federal grants
that includes construction of two rail yards, new bulk and general cargo
terminals, a bulk warehouse, and a truck marshalling yard. The port complex
contributes $5.2 billion per year to the Indiana economy and supports more than
30,000 jobs.
About the Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor: The Ports of Indiana-Burns
Harbor opened in 1970 and is operated by Ports of Indiana, a statewide port
authority managing three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan. Established
in 1961, the Ports of Indiana is a self-funded enterprise dedicated to growing
Indiana’s economy by developing and maintaining a world-class port system.
