The pandemic appears to have little impact on the Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor.

The Burns Harbor port experienced a 77.5% increase in international tonnage shipped in 2020 from the previous year, according to port representatives. That achievement earned the port one of eight Pacesetter Awards from the U.S. Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.

The last time the Burns Harbor port received a Pacesetter Award was 2018. Its latest award is its 13th overall.

“We are pleased to receive the Pacesetter Award in recognition of the increased international shipping at the Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor,” said Vanta Coda, Ports of Indiana CEO. “Indiana’s maritime success is directly attributable to our location at the ‘Crossroads of America,’ our world-class infrastructure for multimodal transportation and the exceptional companies that operate at our ports.”

Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor processed 78 international vessels during the 2020 shipping season, including shipments for a $1 billion power plant–one of the largest shipments in the port’s 50-year history.

“I applaud the Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor for their leadership and commitment to keeping the port thriving,” said Craig Middlebrook, deputy administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. “Earning the Pacesetter Award is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and vision of the committed professionals at the port and their faithful customers.”

Maritime operations at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor generate $5.2 billion per year in economic activity and supports 30,000 jobs. The port handled nearly 2.27 million tons of cargo in 2020, which included agriculture and energy-related project cargo.

The Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award was established in 1992 to recognize the achievements of U.S. ports whose activities resulted in increasing international tonnage shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway, excluding Canada, in comparison to the previous year.  

Other 2020 Pacesetter Award recipients included: The Port of Buffalo (N.Y.), the Conneaut Port Authority (Ohio), the Lorain Port and Finance Authority (Ohio), Port Milwaukee (Wisconsin), the Port of Monroe (Michigan), the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority (N.Y.), and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (Ohio).

More than 237,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity are supported annually by movement of various cargoes on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System.