Local Economy of Shipping Containers in Portland

Portland is an coastal shipping container depot location and transportation hub where intermodal Conex boxes are transported both by rail and road throughout the city. Portland is geographically located in the Pacific North West and its extensive network of seaport and both railroad freight routes and interstate highway system make Portland a hub for container shipping in the USA. The Conex Depot Portland container storage facility is located at ZIP 97203, east of the Williamette River and west of North Marine Drive.

Popular Shipping Containers Uses in Portland

Buy Shipping Containers in Portland. Buy a shipping container from Conex Depot, with all different sizes of both new and used cargo containers for sale. Conex Depot sells to both individuals and to businesses in the greater Portland region and in 38 cities all over the USA. It’s easy to contact us and buy a used shipping container direct from Conex Depot in Portland. You can save money and time shopping around by talking to one of our ConexDepot service representatives online.

Portland shipping container projects and shipping container related businesses

Aprisa Mexican shipping container restaurant in Portland.
The owner of the shipping container restaurant Aprisa in Portland not only wants to serve delicious south of the border specialities to hungry customers, he wants do it in an environmentally friendly way. The Mexican takeout operation at Portland’s Southeast Eighth Avenue near Division Street serves Mexican specialties out of a repurposed cargo container. Kirk Lance is the owner Aprisa. Kirk cites the considerations of lowered start up costs for the compact restaurant and as importantly, a way to recycle the scores of empty Conex boxes leftover around the intermodal terminals in Portland. “Here is what is happening: The U.S. is importing so many things, and exporting very little,” says Lance. “We have these shipping containers being left in droves, and we are just stacking them up. They are becoming industrial waste.” The restaurant space is compact for sure with a total square footage under 370 sq feet. The cost of heating and cooling a small space saves utility costs for a small business like Aprisa. The converted sea container is built onto a concrete foundation, which allows it to be regulated as a building and not like a food truck. The renovated steel box needs to be connected to utility lines and may be operational a mere 2 days after being transported to the lot. “It was the culmination of sustainability and recycling and portability all coming together,” Lance says. Lance has the idea of producing more of the ready made restaurant containers which could be sold as modular units in shipping containers outfitted with all of the necessities required to set up a pod restaurant in any city with an unused lot waiting. Placed in parking lots or empty spaces near areas with high demand, these portable turn-key restaurants could provide healthy, homemade food through an environmentally friendly format.

Shipping container home developments, Shipping container apartments and tiny homes in Portland

In nearby Oregon City, building company Relevant Buildings is converting used sea containers into unique homes and multiple unit condominium complexes. Developer Carl Coffman is behind the project in the city of St. Helens – an eight-unit shipping container condo complex built on land leased from the city. Each unit is built out of recycled intermodal containers which may be purchased for as little as $2,500. The individual 650-foot, one-bedroom units are stacked together “like Legos”, four below and four above. Multiple container living spaces can be constructed by connecting several containers together, increasing the living space to more than 1,000 sq feet. It is estimated the price of the basic model home will be around $70,000. One main advantage of the shipping container condo is that the box can be renovated and outfitted offsite and the completed home shipped to the lot, thereby cutting down on construction time. The container homes are more environmentally friendly and efficient in terms of materials in that a Conex home also uses only about an eighth of the wood required to construct traditional wood-frame houses.

Portland Railroad Conex container shipping routes

Portland is the only major metro market in the western U.S. where two Class 1 railroads converge.
The Union Pacific (UP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroads are the main freight shipping container railroad routes covering the Greater Portland-area

Secondary rail freight routes are the Portland & Western Railroad (PNWR) and sister Willamette & Pacific Railroad (WPRR) are owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Operating primarily under PNWR, the companies provide short-line rail service between Astoria and Portland and Portland and Eugene.

Port of Portland

The Port of Portland operates four marine terminals, including Oregon’s only deep-draft container port. The port maintains three marine terminals on the Willamette River (T-2, T-4, and T-5) and one on the Columbia (T-6). The Port is also home to several industrial parks, including Rivergate, Swan Island, Troutdale, and Portland International Center.

Port of Portland marine terminals are located along the Willamette River and the Columbia River. These intermodal shipping container terminals are connected by rail (Union Pacific and BNSF railroads), connecting interstates, and river barges. The Port’s major exports include grain, soda ash, potash, automobiles, and hay while the major imports are automobiles, steel, machinery, mineral bulks and other assorted cargo. Address: 7201 N Marine Dr, Portland, OR 97203, United States.

Portland main export businesses that use shipping containers

Container shipping has become the most common, economical way of transporting general cargo. Major Portland exports shipped by container include hay, paper, lumber, frozen french fries, footwear and computer components.

Oregon Imports and Exports:
Integrated circuits (processors/controllers): US$70.6 billion, Machinery for making semi-conductors: $10.9 billion , Digital processing units (individual components): $9 billion, Potassium chloride: $838 million , Semi-trailer truck tractors: $823 million, Aircraft including engines, parts: $754 million, Semi-conductor machinery parts, accessories: $582 million, Wheat (excluding durum): $558 million, Footwear removable insoles, heel cushions: $432 million, Immunological products: $345 million. The major exports leaving the Port of Portland include wheat, potash, soda ash, and steel. The major imports arriving at the Port of Portland include cement and limestone, steel, automobiles, and oil.

Many of Portland’s largest companies employ shipping containers in their business

Intel Computer & Electronics, NIKE Inc. Athletic & Outdoor, Precision Castparts Corp. Metals, Daimler Trucks North America Portland Automotive, Adidas North America Portland Apparel / Shoes, Columbia Sportswear, Co Portland Outdoor Apparel, The Boeing Co Portland Aviation, Vigor Diversified Industrial Business, The Greenbrier Companies Railcar Production, Reser’s Fine Foods Inc. Food, New Relic Computer & Electronics, Pendleton Woolen Mills Apparel, Evraz Oregon Steel Mills Inc. Steel Pipe Manufacturing, FLIR Systems Inc. Thermal imaging infrared cameras, Collins Wilsonville Computer & Electronics, LaCrosse Footwear/Danner Boots

Using Cargo storage containers for self storage in Portland

A very popular use for various sizes of steel shipping containers in Portland is self storage.
Consumers usually either buy a used shipping container or rent one from a Portland shipping container seller and store it on their property or rent a space to park the storage container. Conex Depot specializes in the sale of shipping and storage containers in the Metro Portland area and can give you advice and pricing on the best size of shipping container for your personal storage or business storage needs. Whether you need a storage container for keeping inventory, securing construction materials, or storing furniture during a remodeling project, we have a number of storage solutions that will meet your needs.

Conex Depot offers all sizes and grades of shipping containers for sale in Portland. Our sales team offer free project advice and the very best pricing on quality new and used shipping containers. Call now: (661) 412-2227.