The first two ships of the 2007 international shipping season arrived at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor/Portage on Thursday.

According to a statement released by the Port, the Cyprus-flagged Isolda, captained by Z. Ksiezopolski, arrived overnight carrying 8,148 metric tons of steel coils from Ijmuiden, Holland. Built in 1999, the 653-foot vessel stopped in Cleveland before coming to the Port of Indiana and will next travel to Milwaukee, Wis., to discharge its remaining cargo before going to load grain at Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Isolda made four trips to the Port last year.

The steel coils were offloaded by port stevedore Federal Marine Terminals for general distribution in the region, the statement said. About 40 local workers from the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1969 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 unloaded the ship.

At 8 a.m., meanwhile, the Canadian-flagged Algo Marine arrived carrying 27,000 tons of potash from Canada to Frick Services, a fertilizer and dry bulk distribution company located at the Port. The Algo Marine is a self-unloading vessel.

Every year, from the end of March through December, the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway—the “fourth coast of the United States”—opens its international waterway to ships calling on U.S. and Canadian ports throughout the Great Lakes.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor/Portage is a 600-acre port and maritime industrial park located on Lake Michigan just 20 miles from Chicago. The port has 12 ship berths and 25 tenant companies within its boundaries.

The Ports of Indiana operates three ports, including two on the Ohio River in Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon.

Overall, Indiana’s three-port system handled $1.89 billion of cargo in 2006, including $820 million in total shipments at the Lake Michigan port.

Posted 4/13/2007