Ireland, Indiana eye green shipping corridor to cut emissions

October 24, 2024, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

A green shipping route and a new container service are envisioned between Ireland and Indiana under a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Ship loading/unloading taking place at Port of Cork in October 2024. Courtesy of Ports of Indiana

On October 23, 2024, officials from Indiana, the USA, visited Cork, Ireland, as part of a trade mission to promote direct connections by sea and air.

The two sides signed the MOU which formalizes a commitment by the ports to collaborate on economic, environmental, and technology initiatives and explore the feasibility of an Ireland-to-Indiana express container shipping service.

“Ireland is one of our most important partners in the world, and building strong connections between our countries is critical to support our growing economies,” Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb pointed out.

“This new partnership will allow our ports to explore shared initiatives and new opportunities to leverage our tremendous port resources.”

Key focus areas of the MOU include:

Economic and port development strategies to increase maritime and container trade involving clean energy among others;
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.

As informed, Ireland ranks as Indiana’s No. 1 importer with $20.9 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.

The Port of Cork recently opened a $102 million 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 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.

“The Port of Cork is crucial to Ireland’s international trade and economic growth. This signing between the Port of Cork Company and the Ports of Indiana strengthens our position, linking us into the only container service in the Chicago market – the crossroads of America – giving us a connection to the East and West Coasts of the USA. I am proud to see Cork exploring these important opportunities to develop as a key gateway for global trade,” Joe Carroll, Mayor of the County of Cork, commented.

“This MOU marks a historic moment for the Port of Cork and represents a significant opportunity for Ireland’s economy. By linking Cork directly to the greater Chicago/Northern Indiana market—the heart of America’s logistics network—this partnership opens a crucial trade gateway to both the East and West Coasts of the United States,” Donal Crowley, Interim Port of Cork CEO, said.

“It’s an honor to partner with the Port of Cork and explore the opportunity to establish a new container service and increase maritime trade between Cork and Indiana. The Port of Cork has developed an impressive new container terminal that has shown tremendous growth in a short time. We hope to follow in their footsteps as we build a new container terminal in Burns Harbor that will open in 2026,” Jody Peacock, Ports of Indiana CEO, noted.

In related news, Ports of Indiana signed earlier this year a MOU with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges to advance key economic and environmental port initiatives.

Specifically, the agreement formalizes a plan to work together to advance economic development, container shipping, decarbonization, port security and technology integration.