The Port of Portland’s Terminal 6, shown in an undated handout photo, handles imported and exported cargo in shipping containers. The California company Harbor Industrial has agreed to lease the facility from the port. Port of Portland
The Port of Portland finalized a deal Wednesday to save cargo container service at Terminal 6, which had been in danger of shutting down early last year.
The deal cements a tentative agreement announced in December to lease the shipping facility to a California firm called Harbor Industrial.
The privately-owned company agreed to lease the 202-acre cargo container part of the terminal for seven years, with four options to extend the lease at five-year increments. Harbor Industrial also agreed to purchase seven cranes from the port.
Terminal 6 is Oregon’s only international container terminal and handles cargo for some of the state’s largest businesses, including Les Schwab Tire Centers, Jeld-Wen and Pacific Seafood.
“Scores of businesses throughout Oregon rely on Terminal 6 to ship their goods,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in a press release. “Oregon communities will be better off because we came together and worked toward this shared goal.”
In mid-2024, Kotek stepped in with state funding in hopes of keeping the money-losing terminal open. While the terminal has operated in the red, the port estimates cargo shipping supports more than 1,500 family-wage jobs and generates $20 million in tax revenue annually for state and local governments.
“This is great news for the workers and businesses who rely on access to global shipping,” said Kimberly Branam, the port’s chief trade and economic development officer, in the press release. “A thriving Oregon economy relies on international trade, whether you’re a business owner, a farmer, a rancher, or a consumer anywhere in the state.”
The lease calls for the port to become the facility’s landlord. Harbor Industrial will operate the terminal and pay the port based on how much cargo moves through the terminal, with years three through seven of the lease requiring total payments to the port of at least $27 million.
As landlord, the port will continue to maintain the terminal and invest in upkeep. In June, Oregon lawmakers approved $20 million in capital improvements to the facility.
Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of port commissioners, Tim McCarthy, Harbor Industrial’s chief operating officer, said the company wants to grow cargo service at the terminal.
“Harbor Industrial is committed to keeping the facility open and revitalizing Terminal 6,” he said. “We recognize the global markets remain uncertain, but one fact is clear: Regional shippers need this terminal open. Without it, too much of Oregon’s cargo is leaving our state to other terminals elsewhere, weakening our economy.”
NH-Hay, an Albany-based company that specializes in hay and straw, shipped 90,000 metric tons through Terminal 6 last year, much of it going to Korea and Japan.
“Terminal 6 is the main gateway to overseas customers,” said Martin Son, president of NH-Hay, at Wednesday’s meeting. “It is not just a convenient shipping point, it is a key export hub that supports the entire industry’s ability to reach international markets efficiently and reliably.”
