Air Quality and Traffic Congestion Will be Adversely Impacted By Hanjin Leaving Portland
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Hanjin Shipping announced on Wednesday they would be ending business with the Port of Portland by March 9. The South-Korea based company accounts for 79 percents of the Port’s terminal-shipping business. The company said they will most likely send containers to Portland from Seattle by freight truck or rail.
Portland businesses are worried about the impact the decision will have on the local economy. The shift from sea shipping on containers to trucking or rail may be equally adverse.
“There will be increased time of transit and increased emissions,” said Josh Thomas, spokesperson for the Port of Portland. “Truck and rail are far less fuel efficient than transporting by ship.”
According to official port estimates, 1,500 containers a week come through the port by Hanjin Shipping. When Hanjin stops doing business with the Port of Portland, their ships will instead dock at the Port of Seattle. Freight trucks or trains would then be used to carry the freight the 178 miles between the two cities.
If only trucks are used to transport the freight, it will add 1.3 pounds of carbon monxide for each mile to carry the 2.5 ton container. Trucks give off over five times the carbon monoxide emissions per mile than ships, according to carbonfund.org
“A gallon of diesel will take a ton of material several times farther than a rail or truck as well,” said Peter McGraw, spokesperson for the Port of Seattle.
Cost of Congestion
Tim Rhoades is the Portland terminal manger for Becker Trucking, which does container shipping between Portland and Seattle. He said as soon as he heard about Hanjin pulling out of Portland, he told the Seattle office to get ready for more traffic.
Although Rhoades said the extra business will be good for trucking companies, it will put more traffic on the road.
“This day and age, more people are out there and the trailer to car ratio is enormous. We’re seeing more and more traffic,” Rhoades said.
The Portland Business Alliance recently partnered with the Port of Portland and other organizations to study the impact of congestion in Oregon and the Portland Metro area. Sandra McDonough, CEO and president of the Portland Business Alliance, said air quality suffers.
“Congestion is a contributor to pollution. Idling in traffic and not moving is not healthy for air standards,” McDonough said.
“We already know truck traffic is growing faster than car traffic. Trucks don’t have the opportunity to find other routes,” McDonough said.
Looking to the Future
Decisions of how the shipping will be carried out in the future are up to Hanjni, McGraw said. No definite plans have been announced.
McDonough said it will be hard to measure the full impact—both economic and environmental—until everything gets worked out between the shipping companies and ports.
However, McDonough said that increasing transportation funding across the state is something that needs to be done, no matter what happens with Hanjin.
“We already have the plans, and know where we need to make them,” McDonough said. “This is showing the economic value of these investments.”
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