Part of a 16,000-ton shipment of a key product in making steel was delivered to the Port of Vicksburg this week, signaling the return of major activity at the port and a partnership port officials hope can turn into a catalyst for enhancing its viability.

Thousands of 2-inch-by-3-inch pieces of hot briquetted iron, or HBI, are being floated by barges bound for Vicksburg from Venezuela, stopping in New Orleans along the way.

From here, it will be taken to the SeverCorr steel mill in Columbus, Miss., via rail cars.

Officials with Kinder Morgan, the port’s contract operator, said its arrival marks the first time a steelmaking product of its kind has been handled in Vicksburg, with credit due to Warren County for putting needed replacement of the T-dock loading platform on the fast track.

“This trial shipment would not have been made without the foresight and support of the Port Commission and the Board of Supervisors committing to replace the obsolete T-dock,” said Tom Murphree, regional sales manager for Kinder Morgan.

Negotiations continue between Kinder Morgan and logistics teams with SeverCorr to develop a long-term contract, company officials said in a statement Friday. Hopes are for jobs to be increased at the local terminal and benefits to the county enhanced because of what the company pays to the port when volumes of cargo are higher.

“This is a big project,” Port Commission Executive Director Wayne Mansfield said. “It shows the port is affecting jobs.”

HBI is a premium raw material in steel production that contains about 90 percent pure iron. It is useful in blast furnaces, converters, and the electric arc furnace. Its density makes it ideal because of its resistance to breakage and weathering.

As for the T-dock, work continues to replace the structure with a stronger one. Built in the 1970s, its stability had been compromised by years of barge impact. A series of pilings will act as a buffer, according to current construction plans.

Warren County renewed $2.5 million in port improvement bonds to pay for most of the project, with federal and state grants picking up the rest of the tab.

Work is to wrap up by year’s end.