Port of Tacoma
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A major maritime cargo gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is a leading North American seaport, handling more than $36.33 billion in annual trade and nearly 2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent container Units) in 2007.
The Port is also a major center for bulk, breakbulk and project and heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles and medium-duty trucks.
Located on Commencement Bay – a natural, deep-water harbor in Southern Puget Sound – the Port of Tacoma is an independent municipal corporation that operates under state-enabling legislation. Created by Pierce County citizens in 1918, the Port owns 2,725 acres (1,103 hectares) in Pierce County, Washington that are used for shipping terminal activity and warehouse, distributing, and manufacturing.
Outstanding intermodal operations, connections to two transcontinental railroads and easy access to Interstate 5, Interstate 90, SR 509 and SR 167 make the Port an ideal location for warehouse and distribution activities. More than 70 percent of the Port’s international import container cargo heads east via rail to major markets, such as Chicago, Indianapolis, New York and Boston.
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[edit] 2007 Port Cargo Overview
- Total TEU’s: 1.93 million
- Intermodal Lifts: 481,102
- Total Tonnage: 19.6 million short tons
- Auto units: 175,074
- Grain: 5.97 million short tons
- Breakbulk Cargo: 123,647 short tons
- Vessel Calls: 1,172
- Value of Foreign Trade: $32.8 billion
- Value of Domestic Trade: $3.5 billion
2007 Top 10 Trading Partners (by value of two-way trade) *
1. China/Hong Kong - $13.06 billion
2. Japan - $10.39 billion
3. Alaska - $3.50 billion **
4. Taiwan- $3.40 billion
5. South Korea - $2.47 billion
6. Thailand - $588 million
7. Canada - $488 million
8. Indonesia - $438 million
9. Malaysia - $423 million
10. Vietnam - $341 million
* source: Waterborne Trade Atlas
** domestic trading partner included to illustrate importance of Alaska
2007 - Top 10 Export Commodities *
1. Grains - $1.86 billion
2. Meat - $0.37 billion
3. Aircraft and Parts - $0.35 billion
4. Inorganic Chemicals - $0.32 billion
5. Vehicles and Auto Parts - $0.31 billion
6. Packaged Food - $0.28 billion
7. Paper Products - $0.22 billion
8. Iron and Steel Products - $0.22 billion
9. Wood Products - $0.21 billion
10. Glass and Glassware - $0.18 billion
* total value of international exports = $6.33 billion; data does not include domestic trade value with Alaska; source: Waterborne Trade Atlas
2007 - Top 10 Import Commodities *
1. Machinery - $9.17 billion
2. Vehicles and Auto Parts - $4.50 billion
3. Clothing and Textiles - $1.61 billion
4. Footwear - $1.56 billion
5. Toys and Sports Equipment - $1.49 billion
6. Furniture - $1.28 billion
7. Iron and Steel Products - $0.97 billion
8. Plastics - $0.88 billion
9. Medical Instruments - $0.67 billion
10. Rubber Products - $0.46 billion
* total value of international imports = $26.5 billion; data does not include domestic trade value with Alaska; source: Waterborne Trade Atlas
[edit] Shipping Lines
Container Carriers
- Evergreen Line
- Horizon Lines
- Hyundai Merchant Marine
- "K" Line
- Maersk Line
- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL)
- Yang Ming Line
- Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE)
- APL *
- COSCO *
- Hanjin *
* by slot charter or vessel-sharing agreement
Breakbulk Carriers
- Wallenius Wilhelmsen
- World Logistics
- NYK RO/RO
- A variety of carter vessels
[edit] Facilities & Infrastructure
Container Terminals
Tacoma is one of the largest container ports in North America, handling containers to and from all major distribution points. The Port’s major container facilities and services include:
- APM Terminals: This 135-acre (54.6-hectare) facility on the Sitcum Waterway serves Maersk Line and Horizon Lines vessels. The terminal has two berths totaling 2,200 feet (670.5 meters), five container cranes, eight inbound truck lanes, six outbound lanes and six scales. The facility has 875 reefer plugs. It is served by the Port-operated South Intermodal Yard.
- Husky Terminal: Located on the Blair Waterway, the 93-acre (37.6-hectare) Husky Terminal serves “K” Line vessels and, through slot charters/vessel-sharing agreements, Hanjin and Yang Ming Line cargo. The terminal has two berths totaling 1,900 feet (579 meters), four container cranes, seven inbound truck lanes, four outbound lanes, six inbound scales and one outbound scale. The facility has 460 reefer plugs. It is served by the on-dock, Port-operated North Intermodal Yard.
- Olympic Container Terminal: This 54-acre (22-hectare) terminal on the Sitcum Waterway serves Yang Ming Line vessels and, through slot charters/vessel-sharing agreements, COSCO and Hanjin cargo. The terminal has one berth totaling 1,100 feet (335 meters), four container cranes, five inbound truck lanes, two outbound lanes and two scales. The facility has 300 reefer plugs. It is served by the on-dock, Port-operated North Intermodal Yard.
- Pierce County Terminal: Completed in 2005, this 171-acre (69-hectare) Blair Waterway facility serves Evergreen Line. The terminal has two berths totaling 2,260 feet (689 meters), seven container cranes, 10 inbound truck lanes, six outbound lanes and six scales. The facility has 764 reefer plugs. Note: Terminal acreage includes the 23-acre (9.3-hectare), on-dock Pierce County Intermodal Yard.
- Washington United Terminals: Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) call at this 102-acre (41.3-hectare) Blair Waterway terminal, which features two berths totaling 2,000 feet (610 meters), four post-Panamax cranes, six inbound truck lanes with oversized scales, four outbound lanes and two reversible lanes. The facility has 352 reefer plugs. It is served by the on-dock Hyundai Intermodal Yard.
Domestic Shipping
More than 70 percent of all waterborne commerce shipped from the Lower 48 states to Alaska crosses Port of Tacoma docks.
- APM Terminals: Horizon Lines serves Alaska, Hawaii and Guam from APM Terminals (see description above).
- TOTE Terminal: From the 47-acre (19-hectare) TOTE Terminal on the Blair Waterway, Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) operates a fleet of specialized RO/RO vessels that carry highway trailers to and from the Port of Anchorage in 40 hours. The TOTE Terminal has three inbound truck lanes, three outbound lanes and three scales. The facility has 140 reefer plugs.
Non-Containerized Cargo
In addition to containerized cargo, the Port of Tacoma is also a major U.S. West Coast center for break-bulk cargo, grain and import auto processing. From factory components and heavy machinery to mining equipment, the Port is equipped to handle special cargoes. NYK Bulk, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines and World Logistics offer regularly scheduled service to shippers of heavy lift and project cargoes. Other chartered services also make periodic calls in Tacoma.
- Terminal 7: With on-dock rail and available cranes, the 25-acre (10-hectare), Port-operated Terminal 7, located on the Sitcum Waterway, is perfect for handling heavy lift and project cargoes, as well as a wide range of RO/RO cargoes. Shipside rail service and direct transfer to/from vessel make it easy to load and discharge oversized and overweight cargoes. The terminal area features the Container Freight Station and is served by the North Intermodal Yard.
- Container Freight Station (CFS): With its on-dock location and on-dock rail, the Port’s 100,000 square-foot (9,290.5square-meter) CFS at Terminal 7 is designed for transloading dry and chilled cargoes.
Auto Processing
The Port of Tacoma handles more autos than any other port in the state of Washington. Auto processing at the Port is conducted by Auto Warehousing Company. Port of Tacoma customers include Isuzu, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Fuso medium-duty trucks.
- Marshall Avenue Auto Facility: The 147-acre (59.5-hectare), state-of-the-art Auto Facility features dedicated overpass to the Blair Auto Dock – a 1,200-foot (366-meter) berth on the Blair Waterway. The Auto Facility is directly served by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.
Grain
- Cargil Grain Terminal: Grain is exported from an 11-acre (4.5-hectare), 3 million bushel (105,717 kiloliter) capacity terminal leased from the Port and operated by Cargill, a world leader in agricultural commodities.
[edit] Rail Service
The Port of Tacoma is served by two mainline (Class 1) trans-continental rail services: BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Tacoma Rail, a division of Tacoma Public Utilities, provides terminal and switching services.
In addition, the Port has four on-dock intermodal rail yards:
- North Intermodal Yard: 20 acres (8 hectares); total track length: 22,793 feet (6,947.5 meters). Capacity: 68 doublestack cars on the ramp.
- South Intermodal Yard: 17 acres (7 hectares); total track length: 8,565 feet (2,610.5 meters), and support track of 8,662 feet (2,640 meters). Capacity: 25 doublestack cars on the ramp.
- Pierce County Intermodal Yard: 23 acres (9.3 hectares); total track length: 23,544 feet (7,176 meters). Capacity: 72 doublestack cars on the ramp.
- Hyundai Intermodal Yard: 23 acres (9.3 hectares); total track length: 16,864 feet (5,140 meters). Capacity: 52 doublestack cars on the ramp.
[edit] Warehousing & Distribution
A large roster of private warehouses and transload facilities located near Port terminals and an excellent transportation network help manufacturers, importers and exporters get their products to market quickly and efficiently at a competitive cost.
Just minutes from Port terminals, privately owned and operated cold storage facilities - Konoike-Pacific and SCS Refrigerated Services - provide a combined 3.8 million cubic feet (107,604 cubic meters) of frozen warehouse space and more than 400,000 cubic feet (11,327 cubic meters) of chilled storage.
[edit] Foreign Trade Zone #86
Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ #86) encompasses 2,500 acres (1,012 hectares). Importers, exporters and manufacturers can defer duties on imported goods and add value to products assembled in the FTZ before entering U.S. markets.
[edit] Environmental Stewardship
Over the last 20 years, the Port of Tacoma has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a wide range of environmental projects to clean, restore and protect the lands and waters in and around Commencement Bay. The Port's environmental stewardship efforts encompass a number of activities including the construction and monitoring of habitat mitigation and improvement projects, cleanup of historical contamination and pollution and ensuring that Port operations comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations.
[edit] Growth & Port Development
Over the next five years (2008 – 2012), the Port of Tacoma will focus on marine terminal growth, industrial development and creating increased infrastructure efficiency and capacity. The Port's Five-Year Capital Plan calls for more than $953.6 million to be invested in the following capital project categories:
- Terminal development;
- Environmental programs;
- Rail expansion and improvements;
- Blair Waterway widening;
- Industrial development;
- General infrastructure and roads;
- Security enhancements; and
- East Blair Waterway development.
