The Port of Longview is a deep-water

port authority In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other t ...

located in Longview, on the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

in southwest Washington, United States. It was established in 1921 by Washington state law, and operates as a unit of local government. The port is overseen by a locally elected, three-member board of commissioners. Each commissioner is elected for a six-year term and is directly responsible to the voters for port operations. The Port manages and operates a marine terminal complex where domestic and international ships and barges arrive and depart, and bulk, break bulk and project cargos are loaded or unloaded by local

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

workers. Union workers operate lifting and moving equipment including

cranes Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname), ...

forklifts A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various ...

and

reach stacker A reach stacker is a vehicle used for handling intermodal cargo containers in small terminals or medium-sized ports. Reach stackers are able to transport a container short distances very quickly and pile them in various rows depending on its acce ...

s. These workers belong to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 21. Transportation routes connecting to the Port include the

shipping channel, the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

and Union Pacific railroads, and north–south Interstate 5, the main highway running from Mexico to Canada. The Port also leases industrial land and contributes financially towards recreational projects in Cowlitz County.

Mission

To promote commerce and economic development through strategic public investments for the benefit of our communities.

Location

The Port of Longview is located 66 river miles inland from the Pacific Ocean on the deep-draft

shipping channel. It is approximately 120 driving miles from Seattle, Washington and 40 miles from Portland, Oregon. The Port district occupies the northern two-thirds of Cowlitz County, from just north of

Kalama, Washington Kalama (kaw-law-maw) is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, Cowlitz County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,959 as of the 2020 United State ...

to the Lewis County line.

Transportation

Rail

The

and Union Pacific railroad main lines run parallel to Interstate 5 approximately five miles from the Port. The Longview Switching Company switches trains from the railroad main lines into the Port. From there, Port locomotives move trains and rail cars to the marine terminals and industrial locations.

Highway

The Port is located approximately three miles from north-south Interstate 5, the main roadway stretching from Mexico to Canada.

Facilities

Facilities include eight marine terminals (docks), covered and uncovered warehouses, and open storage areas for temporary storage of cargo prior to loading on trucks, specialized trailers or rail cars. *Bridgeview Terminal (Berth 1 & 2) – export bulk facility for agri-products, chemical, and minerals *Berth 4 – bulk loading terminal available for redevelopment *Berth 5 – Petroleum coke export facility operated by the Port for BP *Berth 6 – general cargo berth handling steel, wind energy, forest products and project cargo *Berth 7 – general cargo, barge loading and import bulk terminal *Berth 8 – multi-purpose dock handling general cargo, project cargo, forest products and steel *Berth 9 – bulk export facility, Export Grain Terminal

Types of cargo

*Dry Bulk: petroleum coke, potash, soda ash, soya meal, talc,

bentonite clay Bentonite () is an absorbent swelling clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite (a type of smectite) which can either be Na-montmorillonite or Ca-montmorillonite. Na-montmorillonite has a considerably greater swelling capacity than Ca-mon ...

, other *Break bulk:

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

, logs *Project: wind turbine components (towers, blades, nacelles), electrical generators, oversize components for industrial and manufacturing applications

History

In 1911, the state of Washington enacted laws allowing people to establish port districts and elect commissioners to administer those districts and oversee their development and operation. In 1921, the Port of Longview was established by a vote of the people residing within the local port district boundary (northern two-thirds of Cowlitz County, from just north of Kalama to the Lewis County line). Originally established as the Port of Kelso, the Port was later changed by a vote of the people, to the Port of Longview, because a state law required ports to be named after the largest city within the district. Original cargo activity consisted of forest products (logs and lumber) exports to Asia. These exports began to decrease in the 1980s, and today are no longer handled by the Port. To replace log cargos, the Port now handles steel, bulk and project cargos.

Commissioners and managers

Commissioners

*T. D. Dungan - 1921-24Cowlitz County Historical Museum
*D. M. Atkins - 1921-24 *Elias Holbrook - 1921-24 *R. H. Barr - 1925-33 *Andrew Schwarz - 1924-24 *E. W. Ross - 1924-24 *Frank Dallam, Jr. - 1934-35 *Jess Schwarz - 1925-26 *Charles H. Olson - 1925-30 *W. C. Nikolaus - 1935-40 *J. Perry Burcham - 1927-32 *Luke L. Goodrich - 1930-50 *Walter S. Talbott - 1940-42 *A. A. Byrnes - 1933-40 *M. R. Couch - 1950-53 *N. F. Anderson - 1942-44 *George H. Umbaugh - 1940-69 *H. I. Quigley - 1953-69 *Roy Taylor - 1944-55 *James S. Baker - 1969-75 *Ralph G. Nolte - 1969-89 *William Graham - 1955-62 *Roy G. Dennis - 1976-81 *M. E. Norman - 1962-73 *Floyd V. Carpenter - 1982-87 *Richard F. Olson - 74-78 *Jerry Nestaval - 1988-93 *Larry M. Larson - 1978-2007 *J. Walter Barham - 1990-07 *Daniel J. Buell - 1994-2011 *Roger Allen - 2007-2007 *Darold Dietz - 2007-2015 *Bob Bagaason - 2007–2018 *Lou Johnson - 2012-2015 *Doug Averett - 2015–present * Jeff Wilson - 2016–present *Allan Erickson - 2018–present

Managers

*H. L. Tabke - 1925-27 *Frank Gowdy - 1927-43 *Harvey Hart - 1943-73 *Bob McNannay - 1973-86 *Brian Fladager - 1986-87 *Ken O'Hollaren - 1988-2012 *Geir-Eilif Kalhagen - 2012-2016 *Norman G. Krehbiel - 2016 - 2020 *Dan Stahl - 2020 interim

Gallery

Image:portoflongview_project3.jpg, Project cargo is loaded onto a trailer by a reach stacker Image:portoflongview_steel.JPG, Labor union workers unload structural steel from the hold of a ship Image:portoflongview_project2.JPG, Project cargo unloading direct to rail car using ship's crane Image:portoflongview_bulk.JPG, Bulk cargo unloading using clam shell bucket and forklift

References

External links

Port of Longview
(official website)
Washington Public Ports Association
(official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Longview, Port of Ports and harbors of Washington (state) Longview, Washington