CORK, Ireland — The Ports of Indiana and the Port of Cork signed a Memorandum of Understanding Wednesday that will explore a direct Ireland-to-Indiana container service.
The MOU formalizes a commitment by the ports to work together on economic, environmental and technology initiatives and to explore the feasibility of a Ireland-to-Indiana express container shipping service, officials said.
The comes after Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that nonstop flights from Indianapolis to Dublin, Ireland, will start in May 2025.
“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,” Holcomb said. “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.
It was witnessed by Holcomb, Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg, Mayor of the County of Cork Joe Carroll, 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.
Some key areas the MOU will focus on include economic and port development strategies, decarbonization initiatives, and port security and technology integration for data collection.
Ireland is Indiana's No. 1 importer with $20.9 billion in 2023 shipments, officials said, with the top shipments being pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals.
Port of Cork recently opened a $102 million Cork Container Terminal. Ports of Indiana is completing a $77 million infrastructure expansion at its Lake Michigan port, and received federal approval to establish the state's first sea cargo container terminal at Burns Harbor. Officials said this will open in 2026.
