A plan by Australian company Ambre Energy to ship coal to Asia by way of two Oregon ports officially has a transportation partner in Vancouver-based Tidewater Barge Lines.
Ambre’s Morrow Pacific project has signed a letter of intent with Tidewater to provide tug and barge services on the Columbia River, according to a news release. The project would haul 8 million tons of coal annually from the Port of Morrow near Boardman, Ore., down the river to the Port of St. Helens, Ore., where it would be loaded onto vessels headed for Asia.
Tidewater expects to add 50 employees to its estimated 240-person workforce during the initial stages of hauling coal for the Morrow Pacific project.
The project is seeking permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Oregon departments of State Lands and Environmental Quality.
