Portland said Hanjin Shipping's decision is welcome news to the hundreds of shippers who depend on the carrier and its alliance partners to get cargo to and from international markets in Asia.
In October 2013, Hanjin Shipping had pondered over whether to leave Portland in view of low productivity and escalating costs at the container terminal. Even with the decision to stay, operational conditions and labour productivity will need to stabilise and improve for container services calling Terminal 6 to be successful, according to Portland.
“We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure that the case remains for Hanjin and all carriers to keep cargo moving through Portland's Terminal 6,” said Sam Ruda, chief commercial officer for the Port of Portland.
Hanjin Shipping is the largest container carrier calling Portland's Terminal 6. Its service represents nearly 80% of container throughput at the terminal, averaging 1,600 containers each week. The service supports an estimated 657 direct jobs and $33m in personal wages annually.
The Port of Portland has a 25-year lease with ICTSI Oregon, Inc for operation of the container terminal, where Hapag-Lloyd, Hamburg Sud and Westwood Shipping also provide container service for imports and exports.
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