Barge Slip &
High Dock
Port of Benton has barge, rail and trucking access for companies to transport products.
The Port’s barge complex is in Richland, Washington, at Columbia River Mile 343.
The barge complex is connected via the Columbia River to the ports of Portland, Oregon, Vancouver, Washington, and Longview, Washington, and to intercoastal barge traffic via the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
The slip and high dock are leased and controlled by the U.S. Navy, with industrial access allowed with authorization. The Navy primarily uses the facilities to offload decommissioned nuclear materials for long‐term disposal at the Hanford Site.
The barge slip is not a fully developed terminal facility. The Port may consider lease agreements (at the Commission’s discretion) with companies for transportation and tourism uses of the low dock.
Overview:
- Harbor(s): 1
- Berth(s): 1
- Depth: 15 feet (slip bottom is 330 feet/100.586 meters MSL), normal water level 340 feet/103.632 meters MSL
- Bulkhead:
- Elevation - 344 feet/104.851 meters MSL
- Width - 96 feet/29.260 meters
- Slip Size - 60 feet/18.288 meters wide x 100 feet/30.48 meters long
- Cargo Handling Capabilities: Multimodal, unit and manifest capable
- Container Crane(s): The barge complex offers mobile crane services with the operator for offloading. Upland ringer crane service north end of the site, also coordinated with the operator
- Rail-Served: Multimodal, unit and manifest capable
- Rates: Low dock use fee is $1,500 plus leasehold excise tax (12.84%), plus wharfage fee dependent upon cargo type (minimum $11.00 per ton)
Facilities:
- Vacant land for industrial staging uses is adjacent to the barge complex
- Transload, multimodal and industrial facilities are nearby (1 mile/1609.34 meters away; access road is 30 feet/9.144 meters wide)
- Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ-subzone) #203
Columbia River Lock System & Barge Information
- River traffic can access the Port of Benton’s barge complex from the southern and western portions of the Columbia River
- No access is available to the Port’s barge complex north of Richland (Columbia River is dammed with no lock access)
- Maximum barge width: Columbia River south branch Lock System can accommodate barge widths up to 84 feet/25.6 meters
- Total weight: All barges can handle in excess of 1,000,000 pounds/453,600 kilograms with proper load planning and weight distribution techniques.
- Most common barge dimensions on Columbia River:
-
- Hopper Barge – 270 feet long x 70 feet wide x 30 feet tall (82.29 meters long x 21.33 meters wide x 9.14 meters tall)
-
- Roll On Roll Off (Ro/Ro) Barge – 100 feet long x 42 feet wide x 32 feet tall (30.48 meters long x 12.8 meters wide x 9.75 meters tall)
Contacts
Port of Benton
U.S. Navy
