Oregon Port Nears Deal with Metal Recycler

The Port of Astoria, Ore., is preparing to sign a deal with West-East Demolition and Trading LLC, a scrap metal company, to operate a small ship salvaging and metal recycling facility at the port. The Port will arrange to sublease one acre to the company, with the possibility of expanding the operation if both parties find the arrangement equitable.

The port itself is on the Columbia River, and is used for both container and bulk shipments.

Herb Florer, deputy director for the Port of Astoria, says West-East’s plan is to use the space to perform some simple salvaging of smaller obsolete ships. “The company’s plan is to bring smaller vessels there, perhaps 60 feet in length, haul them on to land and then cut them up and get them into containers and ship them out,” Florer says.

After researching the background of the company, port administrators have found no problems with West-East Demolition’s operations in other areas of the country where they have conducted business.

Nghia Trinh, president of West-East Demolition and Trading, says that the company used to operate yards in Long Beach, Calif., and Denver, Colo., although those facilities closed down during the slump in markets in late 2008.
Trinh says that while the company will be starting with one acre, he hopes that after a year the company will be able to increase the size of the lot where it is operating to allow it to expand its operations.