For the second
year in a row, the Port of Portland handled the third most tonnage on record as
2011 totals improved upon results for . Tonnage represents the total
volume of all cargo that travels through the Port. The year-end report shows a
two percent increase, with approximately 13.4 million tons handled.
Growth was driven
primarily by container volumes, which improved by 9 percent to nearly 200,000
TEU (twenty foot equivalent units). February 2011 marked the beginning of a
25-year lease of the Port’s container terminal to ICTSI Oregon, Inc., and over
the course of the year full import containers improved by 5 percent. Full
export containers grew by 27 percent, representing a jump in demand for
regional products heading to overseas buyers.
Aside from
containers, most other cargo categories stayed flat or showed minor decreases.
Grain remained essentially unchanged at 4.7 million tons. Mineral bulks –
primarily potash used in fertilizer, and soda ash used in glass production –
dropped by half of a percent, to 5.2 million tons. Breakbulk, which is
typically steel slab and steel rail, dipped 2.6 percent, with 941,120 tons. The
Port also handled the first shipments of logs for export since 1997.
Auto imports
lagged due to effects of the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, and more
recently flooding in Thailand. Disruptions to parts suppliers caused domino
effects throughout the supply chain at factories, ports and dealerships. The
234,048 vehicles handled by Portland in 2011 represented an 11.5 percent
decrease. Just recently, the Port began exporting Ford vehicles to South Korea
for the first time.
Subaru of
America, Inc. completed construction on its new, 413,000-square-foot facility housing
auto parts distribution, a service training center and regional offices in the
Port’s Rivergate Industrial District. This adds a new strategic customer in
close proximity to the marine terminals that is utilizing Terminal 6 for
containerized imports.
The Port’s
Troutdale Reynolds Industrial Park received the Phoenix Award for the top
brownfield redevelopment project in the nation. The once-idled property is
being restored to productive use, and it is already home to FedEx Ground’s
441,000-square-foot regional distribution hub. The Port recently initiated the
second phase of development at the park, which will bring nine new lots to
market on 180 acres starting in 2015.
In
nearby Gresham, Port commissioners voted to acquire 222 acres from LSI
Semiconductor, which will be known as Gresham Vista Business Park. It is the only such
site in the region consisting of more than 100 acres that sits zoned and ready
for development. A regional industrial lands inventory is underway to
identify more large industrial sites and assess their readiness to support new
private-sector jobs.
Detailed 2011 statistics are
available online at www.portofportland.com.
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