POV-pistontable-08152014-webOn Monday, Aug. 11, the Port of Vancouver USA received a 300-lb. gift from our partners at the Port of Portland: a table made from a piston from the dredging vessel Oregon.

The Oregon has been working since 1965 to keep the Columbia River deep enough for the ever-larger ships that ply its waters. The Columbia and Snake rivers together comprise the largest wheat export gateway in the nation and the third largest grain export gateway in the world. The Columbia Snake River System supports more than 42 million tons of cargo each year, valued at $20 billion, and more than 40,000 local jobs depend on this trade.

The safety and navigability of the Columbia Snake River System is key to the economic health of our region. The ports of Vancouver and Portland, as well as other ports along these rivers, have worked together for decades to keep goods flowing on these ancient and highly efficient trade routes.

To that end, the Port of Portland completed overhaul of the 49-year-old Oregon this year, bringing this “workhorse of the Columbia” into the 21st century. The port replaced its generators with smaller, more fuel-efficient engines, updated electrical equipment, and replaced the main engine, pump and control systems.

The Port of Portland expects these updates to reduce the Oregon’s carbon emissions by 88 percent and keep the vessel in service for many years to come.

To commemorate the Oregon’s service, the Port of Portland salvaged 15 pistons from its old engines. Working with local artist Juno Lachman, the port crafted each table with a hand-etched glass top showing the navigation channel from Astoria to Portland with the names of ports along the way.

The Port of Vancouver’s table has a temporary home in our lobby so every visitor has a chance to see it. It’s flanked by information about the Oregon and the history of channel deepening in the Columbia River.

Can’t get enough about the Oregon and Columbia River maritime history? The Port of Portland has also joined with the Oregon History Museum in developing an exhibit called Working on the River: A History of Dredging. The exhibit, which runs through October, traces the history of dredging in the Columbia and Willamette rivers and includes informative displays, artifacts and videos.