The U.S. Coast Guard is moving a top security position, the captain of the port, from Portland to Astoria next year.

The move will relocate the day-to-day security and safety operations of the 117-mile river system to the mouth of Columbia, bringing the captain position, along with dozens of support staff, to the area in the next few years.

The first wave of the transition is tentatively scheduled to begin this summer, as eight officials with the Coast Guard’s Vessel Boarding and Security Team relocate to Astoria.

The organizational change will re-name the zone Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, and will combine the helicopters and boats currently operated by sector Portland and Group Astoria under a single command.

A Marine Safety Unit will be created in Portland to oversee the Coast Guard’s operations aboard commercial vessels, but the new Portland office will fall under the command of Sector Columbia River.

Capt. Frederick G. Myer, the current captain of the port, is responsible for the protection and security of vessels, harbors, waterfront facilities, anchorages, bridges, safety and security zones, ports and waterways for Sector Portland.

He said he’ll be making many trips back to Portland to maintain good relationships with those in the shipping industry after the move.

“There is some concern here in Portland that those relationships might not be as strong after the move. It’s critical that we maintain that infrastructure, and we’ll do that,” Myer said.

Myer said he’s had many discussions and meetings with his counterparts in Astoria, and while many plans have been formulated, some specifics are still not decided.

“The devil’s in the details with a transition like this,” Myer said. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”

He is still not sure how many people will be left in Portland to manage those operations.

Myer said the new sector will have two commanding officers, one who is essentially a pilot to manage the air station, and another like himself to oversee marine safety.

Capt. Peter Troedsson, captain of Group Air Station Astoria, said the move had been in the works for a while, and added that anticipated growth in the river’s traffic from cruise ships and potentially Liquefied natural gas tankers played a part in the decision’s timing.

“To have one focal point of planning and risk management will be an improvement,” he said.

Having the ability to close the treacherous Columbia River bar be located in Astoria, Troedsson said, will pose a distinct advantage to all who use the waterway.

“We look at the Columbia River as a system, and now that system will be headquartered here,” Troedsson said.

Coast Guard officials have been discussing the move with Port of Astoria Executive Director Jack Crider over the past few weeks.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the Port of Astoria Commission passed a resolution thanking and supporting the commandant of the Coast Guard and its officers. Crider said he’s excited about the move, and thinks it will be good for the community in the area.

The move will result in an additional 50 to 60 families transferring to the Astoria area and an expansion of the Coast Guard air operations at the Astoria base, according to Crider.