MOUNT VERNON, Ind. (March 25, 2026) – The Ports of Indiana this week announced the opening of a federally approved bonded storage facility at its Mount Vernon port.
The port authority said the facility will enable the southwest Indiana port to handle greater demand for storage of high-value commodities, such as metals, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage products.
A bonded storage area is a secure, government-authorized facility where imported goods can be stored without immediate payment of duties or taxes, the Ports of Indiana said. Businesses can defer those costs for up to five years until their goods leave the facility.
The new Mount Vernon facility includes both indoor and outdoor storage capacity with a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and one-acre storage yard. With the facility’s opening, the port was able to handle its first barge shipment of aluminum, which totaled about 1,650 tons of product.
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“Opening a federally approved bonded facility within six weeks after a customer inquiry is unheard of in our world and a tremendous accomplishment,” Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock said in a news release. “The collaboration and efficiency of our port team, our terminal operator, and U.S. Customs is creating real-time supply-chain solutions and competitive advantages for our customers.”
The facility is being operated by Indiana River & Rail Terminals, which launched in 2024 to manage all general cargo facilities at the Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon ports. CEO Jonathan Lamb said the facility opens the door to new cargoes in the metals, energy and technology sectors with strong potential for future expansion.
The Ports of Indiana added that the bonded designation for the facility creates a new supply chain route that leverages Indiana’s absence of a state inventory tax.
“This new facility creates a long-term competitive advantage for our customers and our community,” Jason May, port director at Mount Vernon, said. “It builds on our strengths in cargo handling, multimodal transportation, and Indiana’s pro-business environment. We’re excited to attract new industries and cargoes that don’t traditionally use our ports.”
The facility comes about a year after the Ports of Indiana cut the ribbon on the new Mount Vernon Railroad, which connects businesses at the port with four Class I railroads.