Oregon’s International Shipping Landscape
Port of Portland Terminal 6
Seven of the eight ocean carriers serving the Pacific Rim no longer call on the Port of Portland, instead routing ships to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma (SEATAC). As a result, Oregon shippers must now truck containers, 500 miles round trip, directly to those ports. Gate delays and regional traffic congestion in Portland prevent drivers from completing same-day turns, increasing cost and reducing efficiency. The Columbia River’s limited depth also restricts vessel size, weight, and container capacity, while the solid bedrock prevents further deepening. In addition, ocean carriers incur extra costs to hire a bar pilot and river pilot to navigate the roughly 100-mile river transit to and from the Port of Portland. This additional transit time makes Portland a less efficient and less attractive option for carriers, especially when compared with loading and unloading containers at SEATAC. These costs are also ultimately passed through to shippers. The Port of Portland’s aging cranes are increasingly difficult to maintain and would require replacement at an estimated taxpayer cost of $250 million to $300 million.
Northwest Container’s Recent Closure
Northwest Container Services (NWC) notified customers that operations would cease immediately as reported by the Capital Press on August 24, 2026. NWC was located in the Portland metro area on a Union Pacific (UP) served rail line. Historically, the UP railroad has been reluctant to provide the additional power and crews needed to move containers, resulting in limited capacity issues with transporting containers. This site has been negatively impacted by traffic congestion due to its location and size, causing delays in trucking round trips. Truck transportation remains more costly than rail for containerized freight. The planned Interstate 5 Columbia River bridge replacement is expected to add construction-related congestion, with no additional travel lanes currently planned.
OPW Benefits
The new OPW intermodal location, with direct access to Interstate 5, allows shippers to complete multiple trips per day, reducing the number of trucks and drivers required and lowering overall transportation costs. Rail service provides meaningful shipping cost savings on a per-container basis compared with long-haul trucking. The facility is expected to provide storage capacity for approximately 4,000 to 5,000 full or empty containers. BNSF and ocean carriers can reposition empty containers to the facility to better support Oregon exporters.