Final bulk carrier ship arrives to remove remaining scrap metal from Bellingham waterfront

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The last bulk carrier ship arrived at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal on Monday to remove the final shipment of recycled scrap metal from Canadian-based company ABC Recycling.

The 590-foot Bulk Carrier Ken Haru is the second of two ships approved by the Port to complete the removal of bulk scrap metal after the company and the Port signed a Lease Termination Agreement in March.

“This last ship is bittersweet,” ABC communications official Riley Sweeney told The Bellingham Herald on Monday. “I’m disappointed that our operation isn’t able to continue working but I hope that we’re not the last big activity here at the shipping terminal. Bellingham has had a working waterfront for many years and deserves to continue keeping a working waterfront.”

The ship can carry 34,000 metric tons of material, which is more than the capacity of the last carrier at 27,500 metric tons, according to Sweeney.

The last of the scrap iron and steel will be transported to Bangladesh, where it will be sold to smelters and turned into building materials, Sweeney said.

The loading is expected to last no more than 10 days and will occur between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 a.m. The Ken Haru is scheduled to depart June 10, according to Port of Bellingham spokesperson Mike Hogan.

Per the terms of a lease termination agreement between the Port of Bellingham and ABC Recycling, the company is required to remove all of its “Finished Bulk Scrap” from the waterfront site by 11:59 p.m. June 30. The agreement requires ABC Recycling to fully vacate the property by Sept. 30.

Sweeney said ABC Recycling anticipates meeting both of those deadlines, and all of the company’s employees are expected to be reassigned to other ABC facilities at the end of the lease term.

The original lease agreement with the Port was not expected to terminate until May 31, 2037. The decision to terminate ABC Recyling’s lease agreement came after the Port alleged ABC committed various defaults under its original lease agreement, including:

▪ Berthing a barge in an unauthorized location in the Whatcom Waterway.

▪ Failing to comply with stormwater management requirements.

▪ Failing to maintain comprehensive general liability insurance.

▪ Allowing waste and refuse connected with scrap metal to be dropped into the Whatcom Waterway.

ABC Recycling’s waterfront scrap metal recycling operation has been a source of controversy since it began along the waterfront in 2022, restarting the first regular cargo activity at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal after a 20-year industry pause.

Over the last year and a half, scrap metal has frequently been exported from the Bellingham waterfront, drawing concerns about loud noise and possible environmental impacts.

In 2023, ABC Recycling proposed to expand its Whatcom County footprint by building and operating a metal shredder and recycling facility on Marine Drive, just outside of Bellingham, gathering further community backlash.

However, the company canceled those plans in April by withdrawing its permit development applications for the property.