Portland’s Terminal 6 Secured with New Operator

Oregon’s only container terminal, Portland’s Terminal 6, has been given a new lease of life with a fresh operator stepping in.

Harbor Industrial Services, based in California, will take over management of the terminal. The company has worked at the port since 2014, first providing crane and equipment maintenance before moving into stevedoring.

Under a new agreement, Harbor has been granted a seven-year lease, with the option of four extensions lasting several years each. The port will also sell its seven ship-to-shore cranes and related gear to Harbor for $150,000.

The terminal had been slated for closure on October 1 last year after losing its main shipping line customers and its previous operator. To prevent this, Governor Tina Kotek proposed $40 million in state funding to keep the facility active.

Portland’s container terminal has struggled in recent years. ICTSI, headquartered in Manila, signed a 25-year lease in 2010 worth $4.5 million annually after an $8 million upfront payment. However, by 2017 it pulled out, citing a lack of major clients and ongoing labor disputes. A court later found that the local ILWU union chapter had deliberately disrupted operations at the site through years of slowdowns and stoppages.