Mark Hatfield: “the top marine transportation priority for my region is the project to deepen the Columbia River deep-draft channel from…”

“the top marine transportation priority for my region is the project to deepen the Columbia River deep-draft channel from 40 to 43 feet. Local sponsors of the project include three Oregon ports: Astoria, Portland, and St. Helens; and four Washington ports: Longview, Kalama, Woodland, and Vancouver. The project enjoys strong support within the Oregon and Washington congressional delegations. Port and regional interest is so keen because some of the ships calling in the Columbia River now exceed the 40-foot draft of the existing channel. If the channel comes to be viewed in the world shipping community as too shallow for the larger, more efficient vessels, our region's reliance on trade and distribution as economic mainstays will be at risk. On June 27, Mr. President, the biggest container vessel ever to call in the Columbia River, the Ever Ultra, took on more than 2,100 containers in Portland. If loaded fully, the Ever Ultra would have needed a channel nearly 42 feet deep. This class of vessel will operate out of the river at low-water periods by leaving light loaded, but the vessel owners clearly view this as a test of the Columbia River port market. As world trade mushrooms in the years ahead, there will be more pressure on these vessels, and the channel as well, to operate at full capacity. At stake is more than $15 billion in annual trade and more than 46,000 jobs in the region.”