PACIFIC NORTHWEST\\\ >> 18


a gricultural commodities,


and minerals are some of the growth cargoes at some of the smaller Washington and Oregon ports. Infrastructure improvements


include larger


cranes, terminal expansions, and rail improvements.


Breakbulk Activity


Handling wind energy components is a growth area for several ports in the region. The Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 handled wind turbine parts for the first time this year, as sections for 50 towers for an eastern Oregon wind project crossed the docks, arriving from South Korea during three separate ship calls to the terminal. “We are focused on moving breakbulk through


more


Terminal 6 as we continue to serve shippers at our multi-use terminal,” said Keith Leavitt, the port’s chief commercial officer. Omega Morgan, a Portland- based logistics company that specializes in heavy equipment, moved the cargo off port. The Port of Vancouver USA


expects to have handled five shipments of wind blades before this year is out. The fourth such shipment brought 102 wind blades to the port in August, bringing the total number of wind blades handled at the port at that point to 381. The wind blades are being used to upgrade PacifiCorp’s Marengo Wind Project. The ports of Longview and


Grays Harbor, Washington, are actively endeavoring to enter new cargo markets. Longview already handles millions of tons of corn, wheat, soybeans, logs, and petroleum coke—mostly exports—to China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines. “We are now pursuing


heavy liſt cargo opportunities including wind energy, electrical transformers and special project cargo,” said Christian Clay, the port’s director of business development. Grays Harbor is looking to


add potash to its cargo mix, as its commissioners recently authorized a lease for a proposed potash export facility at Terminal 3 to be operated by BHP Group, an Australia- based mining company. BHP is exploring the terminal’s potential to handle exports


from its Jansen Potash Project in Saskatchewan. It’s not yet a done deal, but


Gary Nelson, the port’s executive director, said the proposed project “is consistent with our vision for utilizing our deep- water shipping infrastructure and upland property to create jobs for our community.” The port is also exploring other cargo possibilities, including attracting transoceanic fiber.


Infrastructure Improvements


On the infrastructure front, the Northwest Seaport Alliance broke ground at Seattle’s Terminal 5 in July, the first step toward making that facility big- ship ready. T-5 now handles vessels up to 6,000 TEUs, while modernization will allow 18,000-TEU vessels to call at the terminal. “The modernization of


Terminal 5,” said Stephanie Bowman, Port of Seattle commission president and co- chair of the NWSA, “will ensure competitive marine cargo and maritime industrial activities in our harbor for the next 30 years.” In April, NWSA pledged $340


million in construction funds, and SSA Terminals agreed to contribute up to $160 million toward the project. The 185-acre terminal is expected to open in two phases, with one berth ready in spring 2021 and the other in 2023. Planned capital improvements


include dock


and power upgrades and berth deepening. From August to November


1, NWSA accepted proposals for developing Terminal 46, a 50-acre deep-water marine terminal, for marine cargo and/ or logistics operations. Terminal 46 was once one of the busiest terminals in the Pacific Northwest, but is currently not being used for container operations. On Tacoma’s side of the


harbor, four super post- Panamax container cranes


Issue 9 2019 - FBJNA


In April, NWSA pledged $340 million in construction funds, and SSA Terminals agreed to contribute up to $160 million toward the project. (Port of Seattle Photo.)


were delivered in March. Among the largest on the West Coast, these cranes are identical to the four that arrived in the Pacific Northwest last year. The Port of Everett also acquired gantry cranes this


year, taking two used 100-foot gauge cranes off the hands of the EverPort Terminal in Los Angeles for one dollar each. The cranes arrived on a barge the size of a football field following an 11-day,


1,177-nautical mile


journey in June. Transportation costs came to $6 million, but purchasing the cranes new would have cost the port $20 million each. “This is a small price to pay


for the high rate of return we will see having another full-


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service berth in Everett,” said Carl Wollebek, the port’s chief operating officer. The


crane acquisition is


part of the port’s $57 million South Terminal modernization project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The South Terminal is the largest of the port’s docks in terms of square footage, but needs to be upgraded to accommodate heavier cargoes, not to mention the cranes. The


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