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Written by
Heather Ervin
Credit: Ports of Indiana
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb joined officials from Indiana and Cork, Ireland, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ports of Indiana and Port of Cork on October 23. The MoU formalizes a commitment by the ports to collaborate on economic, environmental, and technology initiatives and to explore the feasibility of an Ireland-to-Indiana express container shipping service. The ceremony comes one day after the governor announced a new direct flight between Dublin, Ireland, and Indianapolis, Ind.
“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,” said Holcomb. “This new partnership will allow our ports to explore shared initiatives and new opportunities to leverage our tremendous port resources.”
The agreement was signed by Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock and Port of Cork Interim CEO Donal Crowley, and witnessed by Holcomb, Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg, Mayor of the County of Cork Joe Carroll, and Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork City Honore Kamegni, Chief Commercial Officer Conor Mowlds of Port of Cork, Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy, and Port Director Ryan McCoy from Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor.
Key focus areas of the MoU include: 1) Economic and port development strategies to increase maritime and container trade involving pharmaceuticals, dairy products, manufacturing, semiconductors, clean energy, life sciences, and agriculture; 2) Decarbonization initiatives, such as developing a “Green Shipping Route” between Ireland and Indiana to reduce supply chain emissions; 3) Port security and technology integration for data collection, container scanning and cybersecurity.
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.
“The Port of Cork is crucial to Ireland’s international trade and economic growth,” said Carroll. “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.”
“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,” said Peacock. “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.”
About the Port of Cork
The Port of Cork is the world’s second-largest natural harbor and is a key international gateway for trade in southern Ireland. The port operates facilities in four distinct locations in Cork, which collectively serve all six shipping modes. The City Quays provide the service for bulks, both Tivoli and Ringaskiddy provide the lift-on/lift-off, roll-on/roll-off and bulk cargo services, while Cobh caters to cruise liners with Ireland’s only dedicated deepwater berth for cruise ships.
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