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For Immediate Release

RECORD YEAR PREPARES PORT OF VANCOUVER FOR EXPANSION

For photos, speeches and more click here.

January 26, 2006. -- Another record year in 2005 has the Port of Vancouver on track to capitalize on significant growth in international trade that could almost double the size of the port within the next five years.

"I am pleased to report that we have not only met the goals forecast for 2005, but that our accomplishments have far exceeded what we predicted," Larry Paulson, Port of Vancouver executive director, told guests at the 18th Annual Port Re:Port breakfast today at the Red Lion Inn at the Quay.

The port's investment in modernizing its facilities, establishing labor relationships, and pursuing first-rate customer service is paying off, according to Paulson, who outlined a long list of accomplishments for the past year:

• Overall ship calls reached an all-time record high of 526 vessels in 2005, representing a 22% increase in the ship calls at bulk and breakbulk terminals.
  
  
• Bulk and breakbulk activities showed a 40% increase, accounting for almost 2 million metric tons. For the first time in almost 20 years, the port took on the receipt and delivery of breakbulk cargoes, contributing directly to record 2005 operating revenues.
  
  
• The Port signed long-term contracts in 2005 with eight major breakbulk companies who handled over 720,000 metric tons of a wide range of commodities including pulp, lumber, plywood, steel and project cargoes.
  
  
• The port exported over 180,000 metric tons of scrap steel in 2005 to China and Korea, up from 45,000 metric tons in 2004.
  
  
• Liquid bulk cargos also reached record numbers. Liquid caustic soda was up 25% to 250,000 metric tons. Fuel imports were up almost 21% and that's equivalent to almost 1.4 million barrels of diesel, 1.3 million barrels of jet fuel and 54,000 barrels of gasoline.
  
  
• Dry bulk export cargoes such as bentonite clay and copper concentrates accounted for almost half a million metric tons in exports, an impressive 92% increase, because of the continuing demands for raw material from the emerging Asian economies like China, Vietnam and India.
  
  
• Despite a five-month closure for repairs, grain exports at United Harvest still accounted for over 2 million metric tons in 2005.
  
  
• Port of Vancouver has earned the reputation as the Port with the most covered storage in the Pacific Northwest with over 1 million square feet of covered dockside warehousing. Work began in late 2005 on a 100,000-square-foot warehouse for cargoes such as pulp, paper and forest products. A 72,000-square-foot bulk cargo warehouse is in the port's capital plan for 2006.

"We are here today to show that years of hard work and planning, have prepared us to capitalize on the expanding opportunities in global trade," Paulson said.

Much of that growth would be accommodated through the development of the Port's land bank at Columbia Gateway and Rufener, about 650 acres earmarked for future marine and industrial expansion. Last Tuesday, port commissioners kickstarted the development process to solicit proposals for Parcel 8, part of the former Rufener farm property.

Development is slated to begin at Gateway in 2010; with the environmental review and permitting process, currently underway, scheduled to be completed by 2007. The preferred development plan is slated for high volume bulk products and automobiles which are ideal for the limited waterfront uses allowed at this location. The proposed land use of the property is supported by market forecasts and trends, and driven by the State's Shoreline Management Act which requires water-related industries, Paulson explained.

Total build-out of these projects is anticipated to nearly double the port's current economic impacts of 5,500 direct and indirect jobs, $1 billion in business revenue and to inject more than $30 million in tax revenue into local funding for schools, infrastructure and public services.

To remain competitive in the global marketplace, the port must enhance its river, road and rail systems, Paulson said, noting that everyone who has supported the Columbia River Channel Deepening project over the last 20 years must be gratified to see the start of the actual deepening of the Columbia River navigation channel from 40 to 43 feet in 2005.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged 27 miles of the 106-mile channel between Astoria and Vancouver to 43 feet and the Port of Vancouver received 600,000 of the total 2.6 million cubic yards dredged at its disposal site in Columbia Gateway, enough to fill about 40 acres 10 feet high.

"We must also provide transportation access to the interstate highways and national rail lines that intersect here in Vancouver," Paulson emphasized. "With 80% of the cargo traveling through the Port of Vancouver by rail, eliminating congestion and providing for growth is essential."

Three of the port's tenant companies were recognized for special contributions during the past year in the areas of environmental stewardship, facilities improvement and overall achievement. The port is landlord to 42 businesses that occupy 2.5 million square feet of warehouse space and produce a half-billion dollars in business income each year.

"We are proud of our tenants for their contributions in helping fuel the Port's role as the economic engine of our community," said Port of Vancouver Commission President Nancy Baker. "Their combined efforts are vital to making Vancouver an excellent place to live, work and play."

Fabricated Products, Inc., which produces lead oxide for battery manufacturing, received the 2005 Environmental Excellence Award for its diligence and proactive efforts in managing storm water runoff.

When the company relocated from Seattle in 1998, its Vancouver plant was specially designed to capture 200 times more particulate emissions than its predecessor, an amount 10 times lower than the mandated quantity for air quality maintenance. In 2005, Fabricated Products took the initiative to install a $120,000 storm water bio-filtration treatment system and testing has shown a 10-fold decrease in lead concentration in storm water roof runoff, well below the Ecology benchmark.

Tristar Transload PNW, one of the top transload facilities in the country, was selected to receive the 2005 Facility Improvement Award. The company began its operations at the Port in 2003 on a three-acre site north of the grain elevator.

As a result of dramatic growth, TriStar completed building a new 12-acre facility this past summer at Parcel 1C at Terminal 4, which includes 2,200 feet of new rail track and a 100-foot concrete boxcar ramp. With this larger facility, TriStar expects to more than double operating and output capacity.

Star Shipping, which has been providing transportation and logistic services for forestry products, breakbulk, special project cargoes and containers at the Port for 30 years, received the 2005 Tenant of the Year Award.
In mid-2004, the company took on a new role at the Port, managing its own terminal operations on 20 acres of open storage and a 60,000-square-foot warehouse at Terminal 2. This past year, Star's operations accounted for 37 ship calls and almost 300,000 metric tons of cargo, bringing additional jobs and also increased revenues to the Port of Vancouver.

The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

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Contact: Maureen Chan-Hefflin, Communications Manager
             (360) 992-1107 or mhefflin@PortVanUSA.com