Ports of Indiana opens bonded storage facility at Mount Vernon

The Ports of Indiana has opened a new federally approved bonded storage facility at the Mount Vernon port on the Ohio River, expanding the port's ability to store high-value commodities.

The warehouse was developed in about six weeks to meet shipper demand, port authority officials said in a press release. The first shipment designated for the facility arrived at Mount Vernon yesterday. The shipment consisted of 1,650 tons of aluminum that will be distributed to Midwest manufacturers. 

Bonded storage facilities are secure, government-authorized facilities where imported goods can be stored without immediate payment of duties or taxes, allowing businesses to defer the costs for up to five years.

The Mount Vernon facility includes a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, a 1-acre storage yard, 800 feet of fencing and security cameras.

Indiana River & Rail Terminals, the Ports of Indiana's terminal operations partner for the ports of Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville, operates the facility. The Mount Vernon Railroad, a partnership of the port and OmniTRAX Inc., offers daily service to the port and has connections to CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.