Ports of Indiana and Ireland’s Port of Cork have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the feasibility of an Ireland-to-Indiana express container shipping service.
The 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
Decarbonisation 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
Ports of Indiana said Ireland ranks as Indiana’s highest importer with US$20.9 billion in 2023 shipments, which is more than the combined total of Canada and China, the second and third highest, respectively. The top shipments between Ireland and Indiana are pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals, which are Ireland’s top exports and Indiana’s top imports.
Both ports are also looking to expand upon recent container initiatives and evaluate opportunities to create a direct service between Europe and the expansive Chicago/Northern Indiana container market.