Columbia River Steamship Operators’ Association, representing owners in oceangoing shipping, is suing the US Port of Astoria over its decision to introduce a $300 harbor fee charged to passing vessels.
Having filed a suit Friday in US District Court in Portland, the Association seeks to halt the transit tax through a preliminary injunction, according to data provided by Oregon Live.
The Astoria Harbor Maintenance and Safety Fee entered into effect on 1st July, after the Port of Astoria Commission unanimously passed it in March 2019.
The Port seeks to collect the $300 transit fee from commercial vessels longer than 250 feet that pass the navigation channel by the Astoria waterfront.
The move is intended to raise revenue to help with the maintenance of the Port’s Pier 1 at a time of strapped finances, the Commission has earlier explained.
Pier 1 provides the only available critical emergency berth for distressed vessels at the mouth of the Columbia River, and serves as a land-based platform for providing emergency services including shipboard firefighting,
…a resolution on the fee states.
However, the association suing the port alleges the tariffs are being lodged against vessels that simply pass by the Port and do not receive any services from it.
The Transit Tax burdens interstate commerce by treating transiting vessels like floating ATM machines, the suit reads.
