Shipping containers fill a cargo ship at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 in Portland, Ore., on Jan. 7, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Hundreds of shipping containers, several shore cranes and a container ship dotted the background as Port of Portland officials and Oregon politicians officially launched the Oregon Container Terminal, or OCT, at the Port’s Terminal 6 on Wednesday.
The move keeps the state’s only shipping container terminal open for business after port operators announced in April 2024 they were shutting down container service completely, after a plea for a bailout a few months earlier didn’t bring immediate relief.
“You know, this terminal has existed for over 40 years. The infrastructure is here. The people are here. The commodities are here,” OCT President Tim McCarthy said. “But what didn’t exist is stability — stability and the guarantee that this terminal is staying open. And I want to say right now that it is staying open.”
Gov. Tina Kotek and legislators stepped in with $40 million to support Portland’s container terminal service. Officials say the bipartisan effort, pushed for by state Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, and supported by Kotek, will be a significant economic boon to Oregon and beyond.
Harbor Industrial Services will operate the OCT in a longterm lease with the Port of Portland. The terminal is already processing intermodal containers, with plans to support other services, including vessels, railcars, and oversized cargo being shipped around the world.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to revitalize this essential asset, secure economic growth, protect jobs, and reaffirm Oregon’s position in global trade,” said Boshart Davis.
The OCT’s benefits, speakers added, go beyond Oregon.
Traveling from 350 miles upriver, Idaho officials noted the importance of the Port of Portland’s terminal service to the entire watershed. From the West Coast’s most inland port, Lewiston, Idaho, Mayor Dan Johnson and Nez Perce County Commissioner Joe Gish stressed the regional impact of the terminal.
“We ship everything out of there except containers right now and so we’re very excited about this opportunity that it presents for our area,” said Johnson. “I see the containers, this system, this terminal is a huge catalyst for our economic development all the way in Lewiston, Idaho,” added Gish.
Dozens of International Longshore and Warehouse Union dock workers, from crane mechanics to reach stacker drivers, took a break from their workdays to watch the celebration alongside other staff and attendees. Stress balls in the shape of mini shipping containers were stacked on every table.
OPB news editor Rob Manning contributed to this report.
