The Port of Astoria switched its line-handling business from a 20-year provider to the Hickson, a federal surplus vessel operated by the Nisqually tribe.
The Daily Astorian reports on a deal that’s ruffled feathers at the Port of Astoria:
For two decades, in fair weather or foul, tiny vessels operated by Anchorage Launch Services chugged out from their Astoria waterfront moorings to service the giant ships that sail across the Columbia River bar and seek refuge on the south bank.
A phone call changed everything.
It came from the Port of Astoria. And it had the effect of a pink slip: Anchorage’s line-handling services were no longer required
The business was being switched by the Port of Astoria to the Nisqually Tribe, which operates a federal surplus vessel called the Hickson from Pier 39.