Coal transportation project is seeking to have 20 enclosed barges built by two Oregon firms.
The Morrow Pacific project has signed Letters of Intent (LOI) with two Oregon firms – Gunderson and Vigor Industrial – to built 20 enclosed barges, which will be used to transport coal from Oregon’s Port of Morrow to Port Westward Industrial Park at the Port of St. Helens in Oregon. The enclosed transloader would then transfer the coal from the barges to oceangoing vessels.
The company says there will be no visible coal and little coal dust generated between the Port of Morrow facility until the coal arrives in Asia. The combined cost of the barges is more than $75 million.
“These LOIs formalize our commitment to working with local companies. We look forward to collaborating with Gunderson and Vigor,” says Clark Moseley, CEO of the Morrow Pacific project.
Under the LOI Gunderson would construct 15 enclosed barges. The bid, valued at more than $55 million, would create hundreds of jobs. “We need projects like this in Oregon. This is an amazing opportunity for Gunderson, and would employ 350 local workers,” said Bill Furman, CEO of Gunderson.
Morrow Pacific also signed an LOI with Vigor Industrial valued at more than $20 million to build 5 enclosed barges.
The LOIs are contingent on project financing and permitting for a project to ship coal from the Intermountain region through the Columbia River in the Northwest.
The current timeline would have barge construction start in mid 2013.