Port of Portland revs auto exports

By handling of more than 87,000 Ford vehicles in 2017, the Port of Portland, Ore., maintained its top position for West Coast auto exports.

   The Port of Portland in Oregon processed about 314,000 vehicle imports and exports across its docks in 2017, according to the most recent data from the Pacific Northwest Port.
   By handling of more than 87,000 Ford vehicles last year, the port maintained its top position for West Coast port auto exports. In 2016, the port handled more than 50,000 auto exports, with the 2017 growth representing a 73 percent increase, the port authority said.
   The port authority attributed its ability to process the additional auto exports to Auto Warehousing Co.’s newly opened 18.9-acre, auto-staging site at the Rivergate Industrial District near Terminal 6. 
   “Our export boom highlights the strong demand for American-made cars in Asia,” said Keith Leavitt, the port’s chief commercial officer, in a statement. 
   U.S.-made cars are shipped from around the United States to the Port of Portland by rail and are loaded on board roll-on/roll-off ships bound for Asia.  
   The port also handles import models from automakers across Asia, including Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda, which after leaving Portland are distributed to dealerships throughout the western United States.