The Federal Indiana arrived at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Monday for its first visit. Staff photo by Joseph S. Pete
PORTAGE — Indiana often has a reputation as a landlocked state in the middle of the heartland.
But the Hoosier State hugs the coast of Lake Michigan and engages in international trade, loading and unloading sea-faring vessels that pass from the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes. It trades with countries from across the world, especially from Europe.
Now, there's an ocean-going vessel the Hoosier State can call its own, the Federal Indiana.
The 200-meter-long and 24-meter-wide ship, the biggest that will fit through the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway, made its first visit to its namesake state at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan. Port officials presented a ceremonial steel stein to the ship's captain Monday.
"This is a special honor. This does not happen very often. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock said. "This is a brand new ocean vessel named for our state. This ship symbolizes the importance of Indiana to the global shipping market."
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. estimates that Indiana, which operates a deepwater port in Portage that handles about 90 international vessels a year, is responsible for more than half of the U.S. economic activity Great Lakes shipping generates.
"A good portion of that economic impact is due to our partnership with Fednav," Peacock said. "That's what we're seeing here today."
Fednav, the Montreal-based shipping company that is Canada's largest bulk shipping company and which moves 30 million tons of cargo around the world, commissioned 10 new ocean-going ships, including the Federal Indiana. It's received four new ships, which carry more cargo and are more fuel-efficient. Another six are being built at shipyards and on the way to the Great Lakes.
It has been updating its Great Lakes fleet so the ships consume 33% less fuel and increase cargo capacity by 130 million metric tons.
“The ship was named after the state of Indiana because it is one of the most important international shipping destinations for Fednav,” said Paul Pathy, president and CEO of Fednav. “This new vessel signifies our strong commitment to Great Lakes shipping and a strategic decision to maintain one of the youngest fleets in the world. This is also a crucial step forward in Fednav’s decarbonization journey. By focusing on improved vessel design, our new ships feature safer, cleaner, more fuel-efficient operations with larger cargo-carrying capacity that deliver more value to our customers.”
Kether Shemie, vice president of legal at Fednav Limited, said the global shipping company was marking its 80th anniversary this year. It moves steel to Northwest Indiana for companies like Tata Steel, British Steel and ArcelorMittal. He said the investment in a new ship reinforced its long-term commitment to the Calumet Region.
"We're so lucky because of our longstanding partnership with the state of Indiana and Burns Harbor," he said. "This ship was purchased and named to honor one of our most important destinations and partners. It's one of 10 vessels we're purchasing, which should show our commitment to the Great Lakes, the state of Indiana and the entire economy of this region."
The company had operations in Antwerp, Hamburg, Geneva, São Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo, Quebec City and Johannesburg. It ran the general cargo terminal at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor for three decades until it left the stevedoring business in 2023. It runs several ships between Europe and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor every month.
"We want to thank Fednav for investing so much in Great Lakes shipping," Peacock said. "Shipping in the Great Lakes is not an easy task. We've seen this for years. It's a challenging shipping environment. It's a limited shipping season. It's a limited size of vessel that comes into the Great Lakes. To see the amount this company has invested is truly inspirational. We're thankful for the investment made into this and other vessels. It's an honor to welcome the Federal Indiana to our port and to know this vessel carries the name of our state around the world as it carries critical cargoes to world markets."
The Federal Indiana set sail from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium on Oct. 4 carrying cargo from Germany, including 3,025 tons of steel for ArcelorMittal and 11,798 tons of tinplate coil that Thyssen Krupp will use for the canning industry.
“It’s a tremendous honor to welcome the Federal Indiana to our port and to know that this vessel carries the name of our state around the world as it delivers critical cargoes to global markets,” Peacock said. “This vessel symbolizes the strong partnership between Fednav and Ports of Indiana that has existed for decades as well as the prominent role Indiana plays in international shipping on the Great Lakes.”
The longshoremen who work at the port are heartened by the investment, Longshoremen's Association Local 1969 Business Agent Joseph Perez III said.
"This ship is a symbol of our home state – bright, strong and capable," he said. "Here the union force is going to make it happen and make it possible for future endeavors like this to come. In the 120-ship fleet of Fednav, there's only two with the names of states: The Federal Illinois and the Federal Indiana. As it travels around the world, now our home state is represented."
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