Local company and longtime Port tenant, Cortland International, to lease the Transit Shed
May 2, 2025 | News
UPDATED May 13, 2025
May 2, 2025
Local company and longtime Port tenant, Cortland International, to lease the Transit Shed
ANACORTES, WA – Cortland International, a longtime Port of Anacortes tenant, will lease the Transit Shed for its rope manufacturing and repair operations starting in July 1, 2025. With this lease, the company plans to relocate a portion of its Houston, Texas operations to Anacortes and centralize more of its operations at the Port.
The Port’s Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the lease during the regularly scheduled May 1 Commission meeting.
“We are thrilled to see Cortland International expand their operations in Anacortes,” said Commission President Shawn Ottenbreit. “This lease strengthens our local maritime industry and brings new job opportunities to our community. We appreciate Cortland’s continued partnership and look forward to supporting their growth and success.”
Cortland’s Transit Shed lease is a five-year lease with two five-year options for renewal, totaling a potential 15 years under this agreement. Negotiations began in August of 2024.
Cortland International, which manufactures and repairs ropes, slings, and tethers for a variety of industries, has been a tenant at the Port for over 40 years. The company is expanding their operations in Anacortes to include the Transit Shed in addition to the two other Port properties they currently lease. This marks a significant step in the company’s continued growth in the region, bringing their footprint at the Port to approximately 87,000 square feet of maritime industrial and office space and adding at least six new jobs to Anacortes initially.
“Having grown up in Anacortes and working out of the Port building since 1987, I understand the importance the Transit Shed holds for our community,” said Cortland International CEO Stuart Janke. “I also recognize the value Cortland International brings to both the maritime industry and our local economy. I’m proud that we can continue growing our business here in a sustainable and community-focused way.”
This strategic expansion enhances Cortland’s ability to serve customers operating throughout the Salish Sea and reinforces its long-standing commitment to the Anacortes community. As part of that commitment to the community, public access to Pier 1 (where the Transit Shed is located) will be maintained under the lease.
“The local maritime community has been very supportive of Cortland’s decision to lease the Transit Shed and expand here,” said Port Executive Director Brett Greenwood. “Cortland operating at Pier 1 has the potential to increase efficiency, reduce time and costs, and also reduce emissions associated with rope repair by cutting the distance rope needs to travel from vessel to Cortland.”
About the Transit Shed
Originally used for maritime purposes, the Transit Shed has been used as an event space for years. In 2021, the Port Commission made the decision to return it to maritime industrial use, integrating the facility back into the working waterfront. The Port hosted its final event in the Transit Shed in December of 2023, at which point the Port began the process of looking for potential tenants.
As a commitment to finding a suitable industrial tenant, the Port invested in a new industrial-grade floor for the Transit Shed. Construction on the new floor will be completed by early summer 2025, before Cortland moves into the facility.
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The Port of Anacortes was formed in 1926 to promote economic development for Anacortes and the surrounding area. The Port district is led by a board of five elected Commissioners: Bonnie Bowers, Jon Petrich, Kathy Pittis, Jon Ronngren, and Shawn Ottenbreit. Public meetings are held the first and third Thursdays of the month at 6 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room of the Port Administrative Office, 317 Commercial Avenue, Anacortes, WA. For more information, visit www.portofanacortes.com.