The Port of Indiana reported Thursday that ArcelorMittal is shipping 18,000 metric tons (mt) of hot rolled steel coils from its Burns Harbor, Indiana facility to Thessaloniki, Greece. The shipment is destined for ArcelorMittal Skopje, a steel finishing facility in Macedonia's capital city. The loading process is expected to take two to three days, and then arrive in Thessaloniki on October first after making stops in Montreal and Gibraltar for fuel.
"We are pleased to be exporting nearly 18,000 metric tons of steel - our most significant export from the US in three years - from the Port of Indiana," said Ramana Venkat, Managing Director of ArcelorMittal International. "Opportunities to export steel from ArcelorMittal USA facilities can be very attractive when market conditions allow. Export projects always bring excitement to the teams involved and demonstrate the global competitiveness of our Northwest Indiana steel facilities."
This is the first substantial steel export from the port since 2008. Year-to-date steel shipments through the port are up 40 percent over last year, with 2011 on target for having the highest steel shipments since 2007. Through August, the port has handled 25 percent more cargo than 2010, including a variety of project cargoes such as wind equipment and heavy machinery.