Oregon’s only container terminal – at Portland – has been saved with a new operator installed.

California-headquartered Harbor Industrial Services will take over the running of Portland’s Terminal 6 

Harbor has been involved at the port since 2014, initially servicing cranes and other equipment then becoming a stevedore.

The initial lease granted by the state is for seven years with the option of four extensions lasting a handful of years each. The port will also sell its seven ship-to-shore cranes and related equipment to Harbor for $150,000.

Portland’s Terminal 6 has been scheduled to cease operations on October 1 last year, following the loss of regular shipping line clients and the departure of the terminal’s operator.  However, governor Tina Kotek proposed $40m in state funding last year to try and keep the terminal open. 

Manila-headquartered International Container Terminal Services, Inc (ICTSI) originally signed a 25-year deal with Portland back in 2010, paying $4.5m a year after an initial downpayment of $8m. In 2017 it quit the port with no major clients – and considerable labour issues – at its Terminal 6 facility. A court ruled later that the local chapter of the ILWU had sabotaged shipping traffic at the terminal through years of labour slowdowns and stoppages.