Western Railroad Discussion > Port of Portland OR Container Ship terminal to close

Due to continuing losses, the Port of Portland OR has announced that the only container ship terminal will end all container activities by October 1, 2024.

IIRC, there was only one regular container ship between Portland and Australia running. In the past IIRC, smaller charted container ships were used to bring new domestic 53' containers in from overseas manufacturers.

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/04/port-of-portland-to-pull-plug-on-cargo-container-handling-at-terminal-6.html

Coos Bay's ambitions as a container port also are doomed to failure. Portland only got a boost during the Covid buying spree as other west coast ports became plugged. But now that the buying spree is a almost forgotten memory, there is little need for a container port a long ways up a river. What the article doesn't mention is the daily container train UP runs from and to Portland connecting Portland with Tacoma and Seattle. The train is run for Northwest Container Services and operated at the old Union Carbide property in Portland. NWCS has had it's own container cars.

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=45.60959,-122.76493&z=17&t=S

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Seems like it would make more sense to make a container port in Astoria or some other point downriver from Portland.  

Well, since the proposed facility here in Coos Bay is just 8 miles up channel from the entrance (closer than Astoria and far less than the 80 miles to Term6). It's the BEST natural harbor between Seattle and San Francisco. It's not expected to be used by the Post-Panamax size ships, but smaller 13,00TEU Neopanamax. It's also a direct ship to rail facility, cutting out drayage. In the 70's/80's the SP proposed using it to export Coal via the Modoc line on a flatter routing than was being used. There's been several other proposed projects, such as LNG export, but the NIMBY/CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) people keep harassing them until they give up and build elsewhere. The key to economic success is seeing a need before others do, and "getting in the game early".  Pacific Coast Intermodal Port - Oregon International Port of Coos Bay
Jim



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/24 10:41 by WOPRJim.

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Coos Bay's ambitions as a container port also are
> doomed to failure. Portland only got a boost
> during the Covid buying spree as other west coast
> ports became plugged. But now that the buying
> spree is a almost forgotten memory, there is
> little need for a container port a long ways up a
> river. What the article doesn't mention is the
> daily container train UP runs from and to Portland
> connecting Portland with Tacoma and Seattle. The
> train is run for Northwest Container Services and
> operated at the old Union Carbide property in
> Portland. NWCS has had it's own container cars.
>
> http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=45.60959,-122.76493&z=1
> 7&t=S

Oregonians, literally, can's see the forest for the trees.  They seem to fignt anything that might benefit the state.  Often to save a tree, like we don't ahve many here!

RR



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/24 13:05 by koloradokid.