The Ports of Indiana and Port of Cork have signed an MoU that formalizes a commitment to collaborate on economic, environmental and technology initiatives and to explore the feasibility of an Ireland-to-Indiana express container shipping service.
The signing came a day after the Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced a new direct flight between Dublin, Ireland, and Indianapolis, Indiana.
Key focus areas of the MOU include:
• Economic and port development strategies to increase maritime and container trade involving pharmaceuticals, dairy products, manufacturing, semiconductors, clean energy, life sciences, and agriculture;
• Decarbonization initiatives, such as developing a green shipping route between Ireland and Indiana to reduce supply chain emissions;
• Port security and technology integration for data collection, container scanning and cyber security.
Ireland ranks as Indiana’s No. 1 importer with $20.9 billion (€19.3 billion) in 2023 shipments, which is more than the combined total of No. 2 Canada and No. 3 China. The top shipments between Ireland and Indiana are pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals, which are Ireland’s top exports and Indiana’s top imports.
Containers are a key driver for the new partnership as both ports look to expand upon recent container initiatives and evaluate opportunities to create a direct service between Europe and the expansive Chicago/Northern Indiana container market.
Port of Cork recently opened a $102 million (€94 million) state-of-the-art Cork Container Terminal (CCT), which was the largest single investment in marine infrastructure of any Irish port during the last 100 years. The terminal has grown faster than expected, and a phase 2 expansion is now underway.
Ports of Indiana is completing a $77 million (€71 million) infrastructure expansion at its Lake Michigan port and received federal approval to establish Indiana’s first sea cargo container terminal at Burns Harbor, opening in 2026.