portoftacoma – Pacific Maritime Magazine

26 Mar

Port of Tacoma Okays Maritime Center Design Funding

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsmaritimecenter, NWSA, portoftacoma

Port of Tacoma commissioners on March 19 authorized $7 million toward the Port Maritime Center, which would pay for master planning, legal fees and community engagement and bring the project to 60% design. The total cost of the design is estimated at $13.5 million, according to a port commission staff report. The port and Tacoma Public Schools are teaming up to develop a Port Maritime Center Campus and a maritime skills center on Parcels 92 and 94, port-owned land along Foss Waterway across from downtown Tacoma. The Maritime|253 Skills Center aims to nurture the industry’s future workforce needs and would…

10 Oct

Port of Tacoma Names New Security Director

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newscolinmillan, portoftacoma, securotydirector

The Port of Tacoma has hired former Bank of America executive Colin Millan as its new director of security, the port announced Sept. 19. Millan, who takes over for Louis P. Cooper Jr. who retired after 18 years with the port, is expected to oversee a department that encompasses security operations throughout the port’s facilities and assets, incident and security project management and Port Patrol and Terminal Security officers for SSA Terminal Tacoma. “Colin brings a wealth of experience to this role, and we are very excited to welcome him to our Port family,” Port Executive Director Eric Johnson said.…

25 Jul

NWSA Sees Biggest Monthly Container Volumes of 2023

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, Opinioncontainervolumes, NWSA, portofseattle, portoftacoma

The Northwest Seaport Alliance saw its biggest container volume month of 2023 last month when it handled 252,232 units, according to data released by the alliance July 19. The NWSA, which is the marine cargo partnership jointly operated by ports of Seattle and Tacoma, also reported a 16.1% increase in June in full imports and an almost 5% jump in full exports last month over May. “Ocean service schedule consistency has improved at the gateway, helping drive the month-over-month improvement,” the NWSA said in a statement. Meanwhile, year-over-year statistics continue to reflect 2022’s pandemic-driven numbers and continued softening of import…

25 Jul

Port of Tacoma Moves Up GHG Emissions Goal by a Decade

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsemissions, ghg, portoftacoma

The Port of Tacoma is now determined to phase out port-controlled greenhouse gas emissions a decade sooner than its original 2050 goal, the port announced July 18. Port commissioners agreed to eliminate by 2040 Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, which stem from buildings and vehicles owned and directly operated by the port and electricity bought for port facilities. This differs from Scope 3 emissions, which include cargo vessels, drayage trucks and facilities leased to the private sector that the port doesn’t directly control. “The port takes seriously our commitment to the environment and clean air,” Port Commission President…

04 Apr

Tacoma Port, Schools Ink Maritime Training Center Development Agreement

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsmaritimecenter, maritimetraining, portoftacoma

The Port of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools have formally agreed to work together through an interlocal agreement, a major step toward possibly developing a new maritime skills center and a port maritime center, it was announced March 24. The agreement has been about a year in the making, when the Tacoma Public Schools began looking into the potential of creating a maritime skills center for not only high school students in Tacoma but throughout Pierce County. Meanwhile, the port was also in talks about how to proceed with a new maritime center for port business activities. “In conversations with…

27 Sep

NW Seaport Alliance Receives 1st Shipment of Hyundai Vehicles

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationsglovisamerica, NWSA, portoftacoma

The first delivery of nearly 2,000 Hyundai vehicles recently arrived at the Port of Tacoma’s South Harbor on the vessel Grand Mercury, thanks to a new partnership between logistics service GLOVIS America, shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, it was announced Sept. 23. The partnership is expected to significantly bolster finished vehicles and breakbulk operations, and more business to local partners, the NWSA said. “The GLOVIS America consolidation expands upon a longstanding partnership between GLOVIS America and NWSA at the Port of Tacoma,” NWSA Managing Member John McCarthy said. “In addition to Kias, many thousands of…

20 Sep

Port of Tacoma OKs New Workforce Development Strategic Plan

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsportoftacoma, workforcedevelopment

The Port of Tacoma is looking to bolster its workforce development investments in Pierce County and in particular, good maritime and trade sector jobs that don’t require four-year college degrees. Commissioners on Aug. 19 approved a new Workforce Development Strategic Plan, which would include an effort to support the Youth Marine Foundation, working with local groups on internship and paid work experience opportunities for youths with trades employers, a port summer internship program and nurture the Tacoma Public Schools Tideflats Certification Programs. “The port’s workforce development strategies were developed to create more pathways for local youth and young adults to…

09 Aug

BNSF to Operate New Tacoma Harbor Facility

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsbnsf, NWSA, portoftacoma

BNSF Railway Co. and managing members of the Northwest Seaport Alliance in July agreed to a 16-acre lease that would allow the rail company to create and run a domestic intermodal facility at Lot M in the Tacoma Harbor. The new facility is expected to bolster cargo movement between the NWSA and inland U.S. markets, giving NWSA the business advantage of being served by two mainline railroads for domestic container movement. “Growing the NWSA’s domestic intermodal volumes has long been a goal for the Seattle and Tacoma gateway,” NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commissioner President Don Meyer stated. “The…

26 Jul

Monthly Cargo Volumes Down at NWSA

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal OperationsNWSA, portofseattle, portoftacoma

Maritime cargo volumes last month fell 10.3% to 309,123 TEUs at the Northwest Seaport Alliance seaports of Seattle and Tacoma, with imports tumbling 15.4% and full exports dropping 8.8% compared to the same month last year, according to data released July 19. The ports saw lowered vessel calls brought on by congestion at other ports, ongoing service suspensions and above average import numbers from June 2021 as factors in the declining numbers, Seaport Alliance data show. Year-to-date volumes are behind by 4% to 1,806,732 TEUs, with imports down 6.9% and exports falling 24.2%, according to NWSA’s figures. “Ocean carriers have…

03 Jun

Seattle, Tacoma Ports Mark 50-Plus Years of Mazda Imports

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationsmazda, NWSA, portofseattle, portoftacoma

The Seattle and Tacoma seaports recently marked more than a half century of moving Mazda vehicles through the Pacific Northwest. The carmaker first started importing vehicles through the region on April 14, 1970 – first through Seattle, and then through Tacoma almost a decade later – making Mazda the longest-running automobile to move through Tacoma. So far, roughly 1.9 million Mazda vehicles have been processed through the Northwest Seaport Alliance gateway, according to data from the ports. The NWSA estimates that every Mazda ship call generates an average of 40 to 45 longshore worker jobs, as well as other supply…