Port of Seattle Posts 9 Percent Increase in Container Volumes in 2002

Seattle's harbor saw a nine percent increase in the volume of cargo containers moving across its docks in 2002, despite a 10-day work stoppage at West Coast ports and a sluggish regional economy. Container volumes reached 1.44 million TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units.

"This rebound shows we're capitalizing on our investments in new docks, terminals and waterfront access to keep trade flows moving," said Port of Seattle Commission Chair Patricia Davis.

In 2002 the Port completed a $300 million expansion at Terminal 18 that added a dockside intermodal rail yard, a dedicated truck overpass, a new truck gate and doubled the size of the facility to 200 acres. A similar expansion project at Terminal 5 was completed in 1998.

"Those two terminals give us the capacity to grow our container volumes to 3 million TEUs or more without adding a single acre," Davis said. "We're well positioned for the future."

The 10-day work stoppage that occurred at West Coast ports in October was a challenge for the economy and for people throughout the logistics and transportation industry, but it actually brought additional cargo to the Port of Seattle. Six ships that were scheduled to stop at ports in California were diverted to Seattle after work resumed, adding to the Port's year-end totals.

"Bringing those ships to Seattle helped ease the cargo bottleneck and got freight to its destination faster," said Port of Seattle CEO M. R. Dinsmore. "It also demonstrated that our capacity for additional volumes will be an advantage in coming years."

In an effort to continue to capitalize on investments in container terminals, and to bring the benefits of international trade to the entire region, the Port of Seattle partnered with the Port of Tacoma to help bring new import distribution centers for Target and Home Depot to the Puget Sound area in 2002. Both distribution centers are located in Lacey, Washington, and are expected to generate cargo for both Puget Sound ports.

The Home Depot facility, which opened January 30, is expected to generate more than 16,000 TEUs for the two ports in 2003. Volume figures for the Target distribution center, which will open in late April, were not available.

"No state in this country has more of a stake in international trade," Dinsmore said. "Working to maximize our assets to bring more trade to our region is critical to ensuring our economic well-being."

The Port of Seattle continues to lead Washington ports in international container volume, at 1.173 million TEUs, an increase of 11 percent over 2001. The Seattle harbor's domestic container traffic with Alaska and Hawaii increased by one percent to 265,624 TEUs.

Domestic container volumes at Port of Seattle facilities are expected to increase in 2003 as a result of a new lease the Port signed with Northland Services, a major provider of container barge services to Alaska and Hawaii. Northland's 15-year lease at Terminal 115, on the Duwamish River, nearly doubles barge operator's acreage and provides them with the stability to grow their business.

The Northland lease was put together by the Port's recently created business development team. "This team's job is to help existing customers grow and to bring new customers and cargoes to our facilities," said Charlie Sheldon, Managing Director of the Seaport Division. "They're working hard to fulfill that mission, and I'm confident we'll be announcing more good news in the near future."