IMTT Avondale has operated on the west bank of the Mississippi River since 1939 — making it the founding terminal of what became North America’s largest independent bulk liquids storage and logistics provider. Eighty-five years after James Coleman Sr. purchased the site at 5450 River Road, the Avondale facility remains central to International-Matex Tank Terminals‘ Louisiana footprint, processing petroleum products, vegetable oils, and an expanding slate of renewable feedstocks across 88 tanks and 1.1 million barrels of capacity.
IMTT Avondale: Eight Decades on the Mississippi
Few bulk liquid terminals in North America carry the operational history of IMTT Avondale. Acquired by IMTT’s founder in 1939 and continuously active since, the facility predates the modern tank terminal industry by decades. Its location near Avondale Global Gateway positions it for both river barge and overland logistics, giving the terminal flexible access to commodity flows across the US Gulf Coast supply chain.
The terminal’s 88-tank configuration handles a broad product range. Vegetable and tropical oils have become an increasingly significant portion of throughput as IMTT repositions its Louisiana assets away from conventional petroleum storage — a strategic transition that is reshaping how the Avondale site is operated and upgraded.
IMTT operates 11 bulk liquid storage terminals across the US and Canada following a programme of divestments that reduced its network from approximately 19 sites. The sold terminals — in Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, and Gretna, Louisiana — were non-core assets. What remains is a concentrated, strategically aligned network. Louisiana alone accounts for three terminals: Avondale, Geismar, and St. Rose, with the Avondale site forming the anchor.
The 2024 Rail Upgrade — Loading Flexibility for Renewable Feedstocks
In February 2024, IMTT committed approximately $943,000 to an upgrade at IMTT Avondale focused on extending rail loading capability. The project, contracted to PALA Group — an industrial construction firm headquartered in Baton Rouge — extended a walkway and pipe rack to provide access to four additional rail car loading locations within the terminal’s existing fenced area.
The upgrade was driven by a specific customer requirement: additional loading flexibility for an existing vegetable oil customer, according to permit filings citing IMTT CEO Carlin Conner. Completion was targeted for mid-April 2024. No community impact was anticipated given the works were wholly within the terminal’s operational boundary.
The investment is modest in absolute terms but signals something broader. Adding dedicated rail loading for vegetable oils at a terminal that was historically petroleum-focused illustrates how IMTT is retrofitting its Louisiana assets for the energy transition — one targeted infrastructure improvement at a time. For context on how independent operators are evolving their terminal networks, see the Top 10 Independent Tank Terminal Operators 2026.
IMTT’s Louisiana Strategy: $400 Million and a Pivot from Petroleum
The Avondale rail upgrade sits within a much larger capital story. Over the four years to 2024, IMTT invested more than $400 million in south Louisiana — a commitment that tracks directly with its strategic transition away from petroleum products toward renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstocks, methanol as a low-carbon marine bunker fuel, and agricultural commodities including vegetable and tropical oils.
The strategic inflection point came in 2023. That year, more than 50% of IMTT’s overall revenue derived from non-petroleum products — a threshold the company had been moving toward for years. For a terminal network built on petroleum storage, crossing that milestone represented a structural change in the business, not a marginal one.
IMTT’s Louisiana terminals — Avondale, Geismar, and St. Rose — are each positioned to serve different parts of this transition. St. Rose on the west bank of the Mississippi handles chemicals and industrial products. Geismar serves the petrochemical corridor. Avondale, with its established vegetable oil handling and rail connectivity, is increasingly oriented toward agricultural commodities and renewable fuel supply chains. The broader context for bulk liquids storage development is covered in the Tank Terminals: The Complete Global Guide 2026.
The Luling Proposal and What Comes Next
IMTT’s Louisiana ambitions extend beyond its three existing terminals. In August 2024, the company proposed a new tank farm in Luling, St. Charles Parish — on the west bank of the Mississippi directly across from its St. Rose facility. The proposed site would extend IMTT’s footprint along a stretch of river that is among the most active in North American chemical and liquid bulk logistics.
The proposal encountered significant community resistance at a public meeting on 28 August 2024. Luling and Davis Heights residents raised concerns about proximity to residential areas. Luling Fire Chief Barry Minnich stated that the fire department could not support the project at that time due to insufficient detail on site access and emergency response planning.
IMTT CFO Matthew Rosenboom acknowledged a structural tension in the approval process: residents sought full project details before supporting rezoning, while IMTT needed rezoning in place before finalising site-specific plans. Rosenboom noted that the company could pursue development on already commercially or industrially zoned land without the proposed rezoning, preserving its options regardless of the outcome. As of late 2024, the Luling proposal remained unresolved.
Whether through Luling or other routes, IMTT’s direction is clear. The IMTT New Orleans profile covers the company’s broader network and ownership structure in detail. The company that began with a single tank farm on the Mississippi in 1939 is now deploying nine-figure capital programmes to reposition itself for the next generation of bulk liquid demand — renewable feedstocks, low-carbon marine fuels, and the commodity flows that feed them.
What is the IMTT Avondale tank farm?
IMTT Avondale is International-Matex Tank Terminals’ original and founding terminal, located at 5450 River Road on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Avondale, Louisiana. It has operated continuously since 1939 and currently handles bulk liquid storage across 88 tanks with a total capacity of 1.1 million barrels.
What products does IMTT Avondale store and handle?
IMTT Avondale handles petroleum products, vegetable and tropical oils, and renewable fuel feedstocks. Vegetable oil handling has become an increasingly prominent part of the terminal’s throughput as IMTT shifts its Louisiana assets toward non-petroleum commodities, a trend reflected in the 2024 rail upgrade targeting an existing vegetable oil customer.
What upgrades has IMTT made to its Avondale terminal?
In early 2024, IMTT invested approximately $943,000 in a rail loading upgrade at IMTT Avondale. Contractor PALA Group extended a walkway and pipe rack to provide access to four additional rail car loading locations within the terminal’s existing boundary. The project was completed around mid-April 2024 and was driven by the requirements of an existing vegetable oil customer.
How many terminals does IMTT operate in Louisiana?
IMTT operates three terminals in Louisiana: Avondale, Geismar, and St. Rose. The company also previously operated a terminal in Gretna, Louisiana, which was sold as part of a broader divestment programme that reduced IMTT’s overall network from approximately 19 terminals to 11 across the US and Canada.
What is IMTT’s strategy for renewable fuels storage?
IMTT has been systematically repositioning its terminal network away from conventional petroleum storage toward renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstocks, methanol as a low-carbon marine bunker fuel, and agricultural commodities. By 2023, more than 50% of IMTT’s overall revenue came from non-petroleum products. The company invested over $400 million in south Louisiana over the four years to 2024 to support this transition.