What Owensboro Riverport Authority does

Owensboro Riverport Authority is a city-owned municipal inland port operating a 340-acre multimodal facility on the Ohio River at Mile 759 in Owensboro, Kentucky. Established in 1966 under Kentucky Revised Statutes and opened in 1976, the authority provides cargo handling across barge, rail (CSX main line with three spurs and a 125-railcar capacity loop), and truck, supported by 7,500 feet of river frontage, an 84 NT mobile harbor crane, barge-mounted material handlers, forklifts, and specialty equipment. The facility handles over 1.2 million tons of bulk, breakbulk, and special project cargo annually and offers 500,000+ square feet of indoor warehousing, 100+ acres of outdoor storage, bulk storage capacity up to 20,000 tons, and a 6-million-gallon liquid tank farm. It holds Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ #29 Site 8) status across 181 acres and is a designated U.S. Customs Port of Entry and Homeland Security Facility with 24/7 on-site security. Its customer base spans 40-50 area companies across paper manufacturing (Kimberly-Clark), automotive components (Metalsa), fertilizer (Nutrien), construction materials (Yager Materials), and grain (Consolidated Grain and Barge), with six firms sited on the property.

The authority generates revenue through transaction fees for terminal and cargo handling services, warehousing and storage fees (including FTZ-enabled storage that allows duty deferral for importers), and property leasing to on-site tenants. Brian Wright has served as President/CEO since 2013, leading a 45-person full-time staff. The business model is anchored by long-term industrial customer relationships, regulatory advantages (FTZ, customs, LME/CME delivery-site designations), and a central U.S. location reaching 50% of the U.S. population within one day by road. The authority has paid annual dividends to the City of Owensboro since 2001, including $750,000-$1 million in recent years, indicating sustained profitability. Recent capital expansion has been substantially funded by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet grants, including a $2.5 million low-water dock project (2022), $163,417 (2023), $1.4 million KIASI grant (2025), and a $3 million rail infrastructure grant (2026), with a stated long-term goal of monetizing 96 acres of rail-served industrial land for new site development.

Name

Owensboro Riverport Authority

Legal name

Owensboro Riverport Authority

Website

https://owensbororiverport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Owensboro Riverport Authority is a city-owned municipal inland port on the Ohio River in Kentucky, providing multimodal cargo handling, warehousing, Foreign-Trade Zone storage, and rail-served industrial site development to manufacturers and distributors across the Midwest and Southern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inland Port and Multimodal Logistics Services

NAICS

Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Port and Harbor Operations (48831), Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Maritime & Port Authorities (Public Ports, Harbors, Ferries Terminals) (BPAIALAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Inland / River Container Terminals (Barge-Served) (TLAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Inland port operations
• Multimodal cargo handling
• Barge transloading services
• Foreign-trade zone logistics
• Bulk commodity warehousing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyustendil

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Terminal Operations and Cargo Handling: Fees for loading and unloading cargo from barges, railcars, and trucks. Handles over 1.2 million tons of cargo per year including bulk, breakbulk, and special project cargo. Record revenues of $16.1 million reported.
2. Warehousing and Storage: Indoor warehouse storage (over 500,000 sq ft) and outdoor storage (100+ acres) within Foreign-Trade Zone. Includes bulk storage up to 20,000 tons and liquid tank farm storage (6 million gallons).
3. Property Leasing: Six companies located on the riverport property, generating lease income. Services between 40-50 area companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Owensboro Riverport Authority runs a multimodal inland port on the Ohio River offering cargo handling across barge, rail, and truck, plus bulk grain handling, liquid tank storage, public warehousing, and Foreign-Trade Zone services. Customers are industrial shippers, manufacturers, agribusinesses, and chemical/energy producers that need river access, storage capacity, and customs/duty-deferral infrastructure. The authority also markets industrial park lots on port property for logistics and manufacturing tenants.

Product overview

Owensboro Riverport Authority operates as a full-service multimodal inland riverport on the Ohio River at Mile 759. The facility offers a unified platform combining terminal services (barge, rail, and truck loading/unloading), warehousing (500,000+ sq ft indoor, 100+ acres outdoor storage), Foreign-Trade Zone services (FTZ #29 Site 8), grain handling, and liquid tank storage (6M gallons). The operation handles over 1.2 million tons of cargo annually including bulk, breakbulk, and special project cargo such as paper products, metals, automotive components, and fertilizer. The port also offers site development parcels for industrial development within its 340-acre campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barge cargo handling and transloading Loading, unloading, and transfer of dry and liquid bulk cargo between barges and other transport modes at the port's Ohio River terminals. Used by manufacturers, agribusinesses, chemical/energy producers, and distributors moving bulk commodities on the inland waterway.
• Rail and truck transloading and cross-dock Transfer of cargo between barge, rail, and truck on port property, enabling intermodal handoffs for industrial shippers. Targeted at customers that need flexible routing between river, rail, and highway without private terminal investment.
• Bulk grain handling and storage Receiving, storage, and load-out of bulk grain via the port's grain elevator and barge-loading facilities. Serves regional grain producers, elevators, processors, and exporters moving grain via the Ohio River.
• Liquid bulk tank storage Leased bulk liquid storage tanks and transfer services for chemicals, petroleum products, and other liquid commodities. Used by chemical, energy, and industrial customers needing on-port liquid storage with barge, rail, and truck access.
• Public warehousing Short- and long-term dry storage of palletized, bagged, and other general commodities in port-owned warehouse facilities. Serves manufacturers and distributors needing flexible, multimodal-access storage near the Ohio River.
• Foreign-Trade Zone No. 29 services Storage, handling, and processing of imported goods inside the port's designated Foreign-Trade Zone, enabling duty deferral, duty reduction, and streamlined customs procedures. Targeted at manufacturers and distributors with imported inputs or finished goods moving through the Ohio River corridor.
• Port industrial park land (lease and sale) Industrial-zoned parcels on port-owned land available for lease or purchase to logistics, manufacturing, and distribution tenants, with rail, river, and highway access. Targeted at site selectors and corporate real-estate decision-makers evaluating Ohio River Valley locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.2 million tons of cargo handled per year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Kentucky Transportation CabinetmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2025The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet administers the Kentucky Industrial Access and Safety Improvements (KIASI) program. Owensboro Riverport Authority received KIASI funding for access road and loading area construction project totaling $1.4 million portion of a $3 million state grant package for rail safety and infrastructure improvements across seven Kentucky counties.
• Consolidated Grain and Barge Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsolidated Grain and Barge Co. operates the grain handling facility on-site at Owensboro Riverport. This partnership enables the riverport to offer grain handling services as part of its multimodal capabilities.
• Owensboro Community & Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allows OCTC to use 1.76 vacant acres of riverport property on Rinaldo Road as a training area for CDL (commercial driver's license) training program. The four-week program trains students in trailer hookup, parallel parking, and backing to loading docks.
• CSX CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationCSX main rail line bisects the riverport property running from Louisville, KY to Evansville, IN. The riverport has three rail spurs intersecting the main line, including two leading to warehouse docks and bulk product dump pits and a third to a 125-railcar capacity rail loop. CSX rail serves the 96-acre site development area.
• U.S. Department of Transportation / U.S. Maritime AdministrationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agencies partnering with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the riverport on Kentucky 331 road upgrade project costing $14.4 million. The road runs from U.S. 60 West to the riverport and will be upgraded to three lanes through curves with sidewalks and bus stops.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Louisville/Jefferson County Riverport Authority: Inland multimodal port on the Ohio River in Louisville, KY offering barge, rail, and truck cargo handling with warehousing and an on-site Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ #29 Site 9). Directly comparable in size, scope, FTZ model, and Kentucky geography to Owensboro Riverport.
• Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority: Kentucky inland riverport at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, providing multimodal cargo handling and warehousing. Shares the same public-authority structure and Midwestern industrial customer base as Owensboro Riverport.
• Huntington Tri-State River Ports: Inland riverport operator in Huntington, WV on the Ohio River handling bulk and breakbulk cargo with rail and highway access. Highly comparable in multimodal inland water operations and industrial customer mix.
• Henderson County Riverport Authority: Kentucky inland riverport on the Ohio River providing barge, rail, and truck cargo handling plus warehousing. Closest geographic peer to Owensboro Riverport with overlapping industrial customer base.
• Southwind Maritime Center (Port of Evansville): Multimodal inland riverport on the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana handling bulk and breakbulk cargoes via barge, rail, and truck. Operates as a comparable inland-water authority just upriver from Owensboro.
• Cairo Public Port Authority: Public port authority at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in Cairo, IL handling bulk commodities via barge and rail. Comparable public-authority inland water operator with multimodal capabilities.
• Port of Pittsburgh Commission: Regional port authority managing inland water terminals along the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers in Pennsylvania. Shares the public-authority inland barge-handling model with Owensboro Riverport.

Broad incumbents

• Port of Indiana: State-operated port system with multiple inland and lake facilities (Burns Harbor, Jeffersonville, Mount Vernon) offering multimodal cargo handling, Foreign-Trade Zones, and warehousing. Comparable in service breadth but operates multiple sites rather than a single inland water facility.
• American Commercial Barge Lines (ACBL): One of the largest U.S. inland barge operators, transporting bulk commodities on the Ohio River and connecting inland waterways. Comparable as a counterparty and adjacent operator in the same inland water logistics ecosystem as Owensboro Riverport.

Others

• Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. Operates the grain handling facility on-site at Owensboro Riverport and is a major barging/handling counterparty. Comparable as an on-site grain handling and barge logistics operator, though it is a private commercial partner rather than a port authority.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Owensboro-Riverport-Authority-137468216270524
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/owensboro-riverport-authority

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Owensboro Riverport Authority