Portland’s Terminal 6 Back in Business, Ending Years of Uncertainty

Oregon’s only international container gateway is officially back in business after years of uncertainty that once threatened to shutter the facility altogether.

The Oregon Container Terminal (OCT) began operations at Portland’s Terminal 6 on Wednesday, January 7, following a smooth handoff from the Port of Portland to Harbor Industrial Services under a long-term lease. The launch caps a multi-year effort by state leaders, port officials, labor, and private operators to preserve container service for shippers across Oregon, southwest Washington, and Idaho.

“Global connections like these give Oregon a competitive edge and help secure our economic future,” Governor Tina Kotek said at the opening ceremony, pointing to the role the terminal plays in moving everything from coastal cranberries and Willamette Valley hay to Eastern Oregon wheat and Portland-area manufactured goods.

The terminal offers direct vessel service, dual-rail access via BNSF and Union Pacific, and future barge connections to inland markets. Weekly container service is already underway, supporting agricultural, manufacturing, technology, and retail exporters throughout the region.

Tim McCarthy, president of OCT, said the terminal provides shippers with “a stable, efficient and competitive gateway,” backed by 210 acres of developed infrastructure, experienced operators, and a skilled workforce.

The reopening follows a turbulent stretch for Terminal 6. In 2024, the Port of Portland said it would halt container service after years of financial losses and carrier pullbacks tied to labor disputes and operational challenges. That plan was reversed after Oregon lawmakers approved $20 million in state funding for critical upgrades at the urging of Governor Kotek.

By September 2025, the port had secured Harbor Industrial as the long-term operator, shifting the company from stevedore to full terminal operator — a model widely used at container ports worldwide.

Port Executive Director Curtis Robinhold said the agreement ensures exporters and importers can continue moving cargo “efficiently, competitively and closer to home,” while supporting thousands of family-wage jobs across the state.

Terminal 6 supports about 1,500 jobs and plays an outsized role in Oregon’s trade-dependent economy. The state exports roughly $42 billion in goods and services annually, and about one in eight jobs is tied to international trade. Nearly 90 percent of Oregon exporters are small or medium-sized businesses.

State Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, who helped secure the funding, said the reopening “flips the script” for Oregon shippers after years of instability.

ILWU Local 8’s Stuart Strader called the project an example of what can be achieved when labor, government, and industry work together.

The launch also marked the debut of Harbor Industrial’s “Ship Oregon” initiative, aimed at encouraging businesses to route cargo through Oregon ports to cut costs, ease highway congestion, and strengthen in-state supply chains.

After nearly a decade of uncertainty, the restart of container service at Terminal 6 gives Oregon exporters something they’ve lacked for years: a dependable, home-port gateway to global markets.

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