Portland Terminal 6 aid “urgently” needed: Report

A maritime shipping coalition led by the Port of Portland is asking the state for money to keep Oregon’s only international container terminal running while it searches for a private operator for the money-losing facility.
Calling container shipping through Terminal 6 “essential” to state businesses, the port and stakeholders on Aug. 23 presented a plan to Gov. Tina Kotek calling for public investment in the terminal, and outlining how to maintain the facility’s services while the port continues to seek a private operator, known as the landlord model.
“Making sure container service remains available for Oregonians and businesses across the region – whether they’re in the seafood, grain or animal feed industry, or sell building supplies, tires, shoes and toys – will require public and private support,” Port of Portland Executive Director Curtis Robinhold said in a release. “This is a critical piece of Oregon’s economy, and it urgently needs financial assistance from the state to continue to serve shippers across all of Oregon.”
Kotek requested the business plan after pledging in May to continue services at T6, subsidized by the port despite years of “significant” financial losses. Her proposed 2025-27 biennial budget will include $35 million for capital investments and channel maintenance in the lower Columbia River, and $5 million in operational stop-gap funding from the Oregon Emergency Board this fall.