Port of Vancouver seeks partner for terminal investment

The Washington state port said the available property for developing a marine terminal to handle bulk minerals or automobiles is about 40 acres on the southern portion of Terminal 5.    The Port of Vancouver in Washington state is soliciting a concession for companies interested in designing, building and operating a marine terminal to handle bulk minerals or automobiles.
   Located on the Columbia River,106 miles from the Pacific Ocean and just east of Portland, Ore., the Port of Vancouver has 13 vessel berths, direct unit train service by four Class I railroads, and is in close proximity to north/south and east/west interstate highways.
  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently deepened the Columbia River to 43 feet to better enable deep-water vessels to reach Portland and Vancouver, which is a major export location for wheat and a key entry point for Subaru vehicles and wind energy components.
   The available property is about 40 acres on the southern portion of Terminal 5, which is served by a loop track that was completed in 2010 as part of the port’s $275 million West Vancouver Freight Access Project. The track realignment, which is nearly completed, triples the track miles in the port, making it safer and more efficient to load and unload trains. It will also allow the port to handle up to 400,000 rail cars per year by 2018.
   Statements of interest are due by close of business on Dec. 23.