Port eyes +$3M Richland dock update for barges, tugs, jet boats and more cruise ships
Richland residents could see a dramatic increase in commercial river traffic on the Columbia under a dock update planned by the Port of Benton.
The port is preparing a $3.3 million project to electrify its sleepy dock in north Richland and to expand moorage to accommodate additional commercial traffic.
The dock, referred to as the “High Dock,” is at 3420 George Washington Way, north of the USS Triton Sail Park.
Potential users include Atlas Agro North America’s proposed Richland fertilizer plant and American Cruise Lines Inc., the Connecticut riverboat operator.
It will market the facility to jet boat operators for Hanford Reach tours as well.
“The facility is intended to serve a broad range of industrial, governmental, and maritime users as demand develops,” it said in a statement to the Tri-City Herald.
Construction could begin as early as late 2027.
Public comment
The public can weigh in when the Richland hearing examiner holds a public hearing and review at 6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 10, in the council chamber of city hall, 625 Swift Blvd.
Written comments must be submitted by 5 p.m., July 31, to be included in the staff report, and by Aug. 10 to be included in the record. Send them to Ryan Nelson, senior planner, 625 Swift Blvd., MS #35, Richland, WA, 99352.
Officially, the port applied to the city for a Shoreline Management Substantial Development permit to update and expand the dock.
It is one of many approvals it needs from state and federal agencies to develop in a sensitive area.
Decommissioned reactors
Originally constructed in 1965, the existing dock is used by the city of Richland and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for water intake pumps.
Lampson International, the Kennewick crane company, has a ring crane positioned there to unload oversized deliveries.
It is leased and controlled by the U.S. Navy and is best known as the spot where decommissioned reactors are transferred from barges to the carriers that take them to the Hanford nuclear reservation for long-term storage.
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Funding
The project is supported by a $2.7 million electrification grant awarded to the port in 2024 by the Washington Department of Transportation.
The port later contributed $300,000 in local funds.
The state-funded electrification project will bring city power to the dock, allowing vessels to plug into the grid to power critical equipment.
That allows them to shut down auxiliary engines while they’re moored, reducing fuel use and air emissions.
Expanding the dock could help reduce congestion on highways by diverting cargo to the Columbia River, aka Marine 84 or M-84.
M-84 corridor connects ports along the Columbia and ultimately could connect to the Northwest Seaport Alliance ports at Seattle and Tacoma.
Potential tenants
Atlas Agro North America and American Cruise Lines both have made headlines as they contemplate investing in the Tri-Cities.
Atlas Agro is a Swiss startup that wants to build a $1.5 billion low-carbon fertilizer plant. It has a $9 million deal pending with the port to purchase 150 acres at Stevens and Horn Rapids.
It has a separate but related deal with the city to buy 275 acres for a controversial data center cluster it wants to build next to the fertilizer plant.
American Cruise Lines Inc. runs riverboat cruises throughout the country. It has six ships assigned to the Columbia-Snake system and has said it expects to add more to the popular route.
Its passenger ships stop at Howard Amon Park in Richland.
It also has a new lease with the Port of Walla Walla to use the High Dock at Burbank, near the mouth of the Snake.
ACL wants to use the gritty Burbank spot as a passenger stop though it has used it as winter storage for an idle ship.
PND Engineers of Seattle is representing the port in its environmental review.