By Karen E. Thuermer, AJOTThe Port of Vancouver (USA) is an anomaly. With most West Coast seaports increasing their commitments to containerized freight, this Washington State port sees breakbulk as its future. “Most ports have stopped investing in infrastructure for breakbulk cargo,” comments Alastair Smith, Vancouver’s senior director of marketing and operations. “We are going in the opposite direction.” Last year especially was a banner year for the port with a record 526 vessel calls representing a 22% increase at bulk and breakbulk terminals. Bulk and breakbulk volumes increased 40%, accounting for almost two million metric tons. Leading the volumes was wood products at 216,488 metric tons in 2005, up from 189,202 metric tons in 2004. Most lumber is arriving at the port from New Zealand. “Years ago, lumber was one of our major exports,” Smith remarks. “Now, we import lumber from plantation farms in New Zealand. The farms produce fiber specifically for mills in Oregon to be used in door and window frames. Steel weighed in at 173,418 metric tons last year, down slightly from 182,713 metric tons in 2004. The year, however, saw a 67% increase in imports. Capital investments For 10 years the port has built infrastructure to become the premier Pacific Northwest port for breakbulk cargoes. Key is the massive $100 million renovation of its Terminal One and Two breakbulk facilities. “We had a dock that was literally falling into the water. We knew if we did not do something, we could lose the ability to get permitting later on,” Smith says. The dock has been strengthened to handle 1,000 pounds per square foot. A new $10 million engine gate was also added. “This gave us a 24-7 security force prior to 9-11,” he says. Several years ago the port also spent $7 million plus to resurface Terminal Three. With over one million square feet of covered dockside warehousing, Vancouver offers the most covered storage of any port in the Pacific Northwest. In late 2005, work began to add a 100,000-square-foot warehouse for cargoes such as pulp, paper and forest products. “We have a canopy on the North end that is 400 feet long by 30 feet deep, so that’s an extra 12,000 square feet of undercover space,” Smith says. “That brings our overall capacity for breakbulk cargo to over 700,000 square feet of undercover space.” The covered space is necessary because the commodity has changed from green lumber exported from the Pacific Northwest—capable of being stored outside, to imported wood that is kiln dried. “It cannot be exposed to moisture,” Smith says. “In fact, this was one of our major selling points in attracting long term commitments from customers.” Eight major carriers signed long-term contracts in 2005 with the port: Star Shipping, Saga Forest Carriers, STX Pan Ocean, Hyundai Merchant Marine, SK Shipping, New Zealand Lumber Shippers, MAN Ferrostaal, and Indotrans Pacific. These major breakbulk companies handled over 720,000 metric tons of commodities, including pulp, lumber, plywood, steel and project cargoes. “The reason they signed contracts was they are happy with the infrastructure the Port of Vancouver is building for breakbulk cargo,” Smith explains. “Three actually said the Port had the highest productivity of any they deal with on the West Coast.” The higher the productivity, the lower cost per ton that is spent on handling. New business Commissioners continue to seek opportunities for the port such as renewable energy. Given the fact the Columbia River Gorge is a natural wind tunnel capable of producing tremendous electricity has already resulted in business such as the 454-unit Stateline Wind Project in 2001. In addition, the port handled 49 turbines for the Nine Canyons project in 2003 and 83 turbines last year for the Hopkins Ridge project. “These projects involve many components,” Smith says. “The generators, which drive the blade, weigh 55 metric tons each. That is twice the size of the space shuttle.” Nearly a dozen ships tra