Columbia River Bar pilots report slowed commerce as tariffs go into effect

Tariffs and job cuts at federal agencies are making life more complicated for the Columbia River Bar pilots who play a critical role in connecting Pacific Northwest agriculture with buyers in the rest of the world.

The bar, where roiling Columbia River waters collide with the rough seas of the Pacific Ocean, has been nicknamed the “graveyard of the Pacific,” and is considered one of the most dangerous stretches of water on the planet. It’s also a gateway connecting U.S. wheat and soybean exports to the rest of the world.

Related: The dangerous life of a Columbia River Bar pilot

Tariffs imposed this week by President Donald Trump started affecting that commerce even before they went into effect, according to Dan Jordan, administrator of the Columbia River Bar Pilots. That’s the Astoria-based group charged with guiding ships, crews and cargoes safely across the bar.

Shipments across the bar surged before tariffs went into effect, Jordan told OPB’s Think Out Loud on Wednesday, “with shippers wanting to move their goods before they came into place. With the tariffs in place, it’s slowed down dramatically.”

After Trump imposed a new tax on Chinese imports, China retaliated with its own tariffs targeting U.S. wheat and soybeans. Half of U.S. global soybean exports travel to Asia after crossing the Columbia River Bar, and the river is the No. 2 global gateway for American soybeans.

Columbia River Bar pilots are also concerned that they could eventually be affected by Trump administration cuts to the National Weather Service. That agency has shed 30% to 40% of its Oregon staff, according to the Statesman Journal.

The weather service provides around-the-clock data about safety conditions to bar pilots, Jordan said.

“Monday night, we had a record-breaking wave height of 63 feet,” he said. “It’s certainly much too dangerous for a ship to cross in those conditions. That’s where we rely on the weather service. … When the weather’s coming, the weather service keeps us informed well in advance.”

The National Weather Service team that updates bar pilots on conditions has been understaffed for years, and Jordan said that if it shrinks as a result of federal job cuts or hiring freezes, there may not be enough staff to provide these briefings.

“We want to get commerce going, but we don’t want to do it in a dangerous way. So we’re on the telephone with them frequently, with the forecaster in the office – when ships should sail and when they shouldn’t,” he said. “If we don’t get accurate forecasts, then we’re going to have to make much more conservative decisions for safety, so there will be longer delays, longer financial impacts upriver.”

The Columbia River trade corridor supports $31.2 billion in foreign trade each year, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.