Tag Archives: Shippers/Shipping

How shipping containers and the Port of Portland play a vital role in Oregon’s economy

The shipping container service was in jeopardy of disappearing until the governor stepped in to propose $40 million in state funds for the Port. On a sunny afternoon in June a dozen trucks line up on North Marine Drive in Portland, waiting to turn into marine Terminal 6 where they’ll drop off or load up […]
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Portland Is Trapped in a $30 Million Container Shipping Cult

Cargo cults are a well-documented sociological phenomenon that emerged among indigenous people in Melanesia during the early to mid-20th century. The cults were inspired by the arrival of European colonizers and the material goods they brought. Very much in that vein, Oregon leaders are proposing to prop up a similar cargo cult edifice, in the […]
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Reprieve for Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 depends on elusive profitability plan

Container shipping from the Port of Portland has won a reprieve, but experts say it depends on a path to profitability that’s proven elusive so far. After announcing the closure of its beleaguered Terminal 6 facility last month, the port has now reversed course and declared it’ll remain open due to a $40 million legislative […]
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Coast Guard seeks to federalize anchorage grounds east of Astoria

Proposals near Rice Island and other places could increase the safety of ship navigation. As the president of Columbia River Pilots, Jeremy Nielsen is no stranger to the narrow and sometimes unforgiving waters that flow between Astoria and Portland. The river is a designated marine highway — and as on any highway, Nielsen said, travelers […]
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Concerns grow over Canadian pipeline expansion and impact on oil tanker activity in Pacific Northwest waters – OPB’s Think Out Loud

Last week, crude oil started flowing through a newly expanded pipeline that stretches more than 600 miles from the tar sands of Canada’s Alberta province to an export terminal near Vancouver in British Columbia. The Canadian government spent $25 billion and more than four years to complete construction on the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion which […]
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Guest Column: Astoria Bridge likely wouldn’t survive major ship strike

The Astoria Bridge near the mouth of the Columbia River is as well-protected as any span against ship collisions, but it’s not likely to withstand an impact like the one that brought down a similar span in Baltimore in March. Reduced risk doesn’t mean no risk, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which maintains […]
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Guest Column: Tragedy should prompt safety evaluation of Lewis and Clark Bridge

The moment I heard about the Baltimore bridge collapse, I thought about Jerry Reagor and a story I’d written in 2019 about him and the Lewis and Clark Bridge. Reagor is an 85-year-old Longview, Washington, resident who has built bridges across the region for six decades. He was worried five years ago and he still […]
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Baltimore bridge collapse highlights outdated safety standards, experts say

State Library Ed. Note: If you cannot access this story via the link below, state employees can access this Washington Post story HERE via the State Library’s subscription to the US Newstream database. Alternatively, state employees can contact us for access: LibraryHelp.SLO@slo.oregon.gov or 503-378-8800. Engineers say the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge shows how U.S. system hasn’t evolved to […]
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Container shipping halting again at Port of Portland

Deepening financial losses have convinced the Port of Portland to halt container shipping operations four years after resuming the service at its Terminal 6 facility. The port had hoped to lease the facility to a third-party operator but that deal fell through, prompting its decision to cease operations Oct. 1, according to a letter sent […]
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Port of Portland will end shipping container service in October

The state’s only shipping container service will close in October after Port of Portland officials say a deal with a third party operator fell through. Officials say that lease would have been a vital part of making the container service at Terminal 6 affordable. Source: Port of Portland will end shipping container service in October