Export yard in Washington sends out its last vessel

A bulk cargo vessel that docked in Bellingham, Washington, early this week reportedly is there to load the final outbound recycled steel shipment from an ABC Recycling Co. facility along the waterfront.

An online article prepared by the Bellingham Herald indicates ABC Recycling, based in Burnaby, British Columbia, was pressured into signing a lease termination agreement with the Port of Bellingham this March.

The same article quotes an ABC Recycling spokesperson as calling the arrival of the final vessel “bittersweet,” adding, “I’m disappointed that our operation isn’t able to continue working” at the port.

The Bellingham export yard been operating in 2022 but soon thereafter received compliance notices and might have been considered unwelcome by some nearby property owners.

If so, it has not been the only “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) experience in the Evergreen State for the scrap processing company.

According to the Herald, ABC Recycling has attempted to locate a shredding plant in Whatcom County, Washington, not far from the Bellingham dock, but “canceled those plans” this April after what the website calls “community backlash.”

On the waterfront this week, the 590-foot bulk vessel Ken Haru, owned by Japan-based Delica Shipping S.A., will haul away several thousand tons of recyclable steel, reportedly destined for melt shops in Bangladesh.

After the closure of the Bellingham ABC location at the end of this month, the firm will continue to operate from 10 other locations and says it will attempt to redeploy Bellingham employees to other facilities, it tells the Bellingham Herald. 

On its website, ABC Recycling lists its 10 other locations as all being in Canada, with nine in British Columbia and one in Alberta.