ILWU Local 4 members use Liebherr mobile cranes to move wind energy components. Photo from the Columbian.
Through July, trucks and rail cars will haul the enormous wind-energy components — including blades, generators and towers — from the Port of Vancouver to wind farms in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The port is importing the components from northern Europe, South America and Asia.
Why is Vancouver a gateway for shipments of wind-energy parts?
It is due to the port’s strategic decision about 10 years ago to handle what amounts to specialty cargo.
It has the right equipment for the job: The port deploys two Liebherr LHM 500 heavy-lift mobile cranes to take hold of the wind-energy segments.
The port’s best year in the wind energy market was 2009, when it handled 2,700 components. But it expects to top that this year by handling an estimated 3,000 pieces of wind-energy machinery.