Facebook Twitter Twitter    Archive | www.aapa-ports.org October 21, 2014
   

Infrastructure Investment: Redwood City, Vancouver USA

Print Print this Article | Send to Colleague

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has awarded a $12.8 million contract for maintenance dredging of the Redwood City Harbor and Channel. An advanced manufacturing facility is poised to be the first development in the Port of Vancouver USA’s Centennial Industrial Park (CIP).

Redwood City: Major Dredging Project Will Restore Port Channel Depth

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has awarded a $12.8 million contract for maintenance dredging of the Redwood City Harbor and Channel. The Port of Redwood City channel is a federally-authorized navigation project, with an authorized depth of -30 feet.

The last time the channel was dredged to its authorized depth was December 2009. Since then areas of the channel have silted in. The port has been working with the USACE to perform this dredging in order to increase allowable draft for ships. The current channel depth limitation for navigation of -22 feet is causing extra costs and logistics problems for the port’s cargo customers.

This project will dredge the navigation channel to a depth of -28 feet by December 2014 and to the fully authorized depth of -30 feet by mid-2015. The dredging has been issued the notice to proceed by the USACE and will start dredging soon. Approximately 300,000 cubic yards of material, primarily Bay mud, will be dredged from the channel and deposited at the approved in-Bay site near Alcatraz Island.

Due to the large volume of material and tight project schedule, multiple dredges, barges, tugboats and other equipment will be deployed in the channel to work on a 24/7 schedule. The USACE has prepared information on the dredging activity and equipment in the navigation channel that will be posted on the Port's website.

Redwood City’s cargo traffic has grown steadily since 2009 and last year reached 1.8 million metric tons. Much of it consists of construction materials for projects underway and planned in the Redwood City area and Silicon Valley.

Port of Vancouver USA Approves Sale of 9.6 Acres to Steel Manufacturer Maruichi Northwest

An advanced manufacturing facility is poised to be the first development in the Port of Vancouver USA’s Centennial Industrial Park (CIP).

The port’s board of commissioners approved the sale of 9.6 acres in CIP to Maruichi Northwest in its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Maruichi Northwest, a subsidiary of Maruichi American Corporation, plans to invest more than $30 million in land, facilities and equipment for a structural steel tubing mill. It expects to initially hire 20 to 25 workers to manufacture structural and ornamental steel components.

It’s rare for the Port of Vancouver to sell property. The port says its decision to sell was made only after careful consideration and preservation of public interest in the property. The contract allows the port to repurchase the property from Maruichi should any of the following occur:

Construction does not begin within 12 months or operations within 24 months.

Minimum employment levels are not maintained.

Operations on the property cease.

The property is offered for sale.

The last time the port sold property was in 2010, when Farwest Steel purchased 17.5 acres near Terminal 4. Farwest built a steel fabrication, treatment and distribution facility on the property, investing more than $25 million and bringing 228 jobs to Clark County.

Maruichi’s planned investment has similar benefits to the port and community. The company further diversifies the port’s metals/steel business cluster, and plans to build a clean, state-of-the-industry manufacturing facility and create up to 50 new jobs.

"It makes a lot of sense for Maruichi to locate at the Port of Vancouver," said port CEO Todd Coleman. "Farwest and Genie are big local customers, we’re looking at an estimated 5,900 hours of longshore labor on the docks per year, and we’ve also talked about working with existing tenants like TriStar Transload to meet Maruichi’s rail loading needs. It’s a smart move all around."

"(Maruichi) has been thinking about this Northwest operation for a long time, I would say more than 10 years," said Maruichi American Corporation president Sho Morita. "It wasn’t a question of if, it was a question of where, because the time has come."

The port and Maruichi will begin the process of selling and developing the property this fall. Facility construction is expected to begin in spring 2015, with full completion and operation expected in late 2015 or early 2016.

Metals are big business in the Portland/Vancouver metro area, which is home to giants, such as Metro Metals NW and Schnitzer Steel. The Port of Vancouver’s metals/steel business cluster includes Farwest Steel, Bowers Steel/DCB Industries, Sapa Profiles and Pacific Coast Shredding.


Port of Vancouver USA’s Centennial Industrial Park, site of future Maruichi Northwest manufacturing facility.
Photo/Port of Vancouver USA

 

Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn