Swire Shipping will begin container shipping service at the Port of Portland's Terminal 6. The announcement follows a recent trade mission to Hong Kong, where Oregon Governor Kate Brown and port representatives met with Swire corporate executives. 

 

Swire Shipping will begin offering a mix of general, non-containerized cargo and container service starting in January 2018. The ship call at Terminal 6 is likely to be monthly and include export shipments of Western Star trucks to Australia, export containers to Australia / New Zealand, and import containers from Asia. The trucks are manufactured by Daimler Trucks North America at its Swan Island plant in Portland. 

 

The port regards this as "a critical first step toward restarting container service at Terminal 6 and will aid in efforts to attract an additional service in the future."

"The port is focused on giving our local shippers a variety of options to move their goods efficiently," said Port Executive Director Curtis Robinhold. "Most importantly, this signals that T-6 is open for business. We very much appreciate the growing partnership we have with Swire."

 

Swire's new shipping service is supported by a $250,000 investment from the Strategic Reserve Fund (SIP) administered by Oregon Business, the state’s business development agency. SIP offers a 15-year property tax exemption on a portion of large capital investments to "traded sector" industries, defined in the law as "member firms sell their goods or services into markets for which national or international competition exists." 

 

"I am absolutely delighted to announce new container service will begin at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6," Governor Brown said. "Not only does the container service support jobs for Oregonians, it's going to give more options to Oregon companies as we work to maximize Terminal 6. We’ve been working hard to expand export options to our Oregon business, which is why I recently led a trade mission to Asia. Strong trading partnerships and access to global markets allow Oregon businesses to grow, helping to sustain a thriving statewide economy."