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Port of Tacoma’s Growth
The
Port of Tacoma is growing by leaps and bounds. According to The Seattle Times
"Tacoma nearly doubled , to 525 acres, its land for unloading the giant
container ships that now carry most of the world's goods. . . .
"All
six of Tacoma's
container terminals have expansion options that would add an additional 100 aces
if fully developed."
"Tacoma's
three new terminals - its largest expansion ever -echo booming Asian trade that
is bringing jobs to Tacoma. The port says more than 43,000 "family
wage" jobs in Pierce County are connected with its activity, up from 28,000
five years ago."
Tacoma's
expansion . . . will help it handle a record 2.2 million containers this year
and 2.4 million next year, according
to port forecasts.
"The
port figures it has capacity to handle 3.3 million containers in 2007, without
buying additional land. In five
years, the port expects to be actually handling that many containers a
year."
Meanwhile,
how is the Port of Seattle doing?
"The
Port of Seattle said . . . that new vessel services, larger ships and improved
marine terminals are expected to bring another record year for shipping cargo
volumes. As of May, cargo containers
moving through the facility had increased 27 percent, compared with the same
period last year, according to the port. In 2004, 1.78 million containers,
measured in 20 foot equivalent units, had passed through the facility."
Is Tacoma surpassing Seattle? From
the figures, 2.2 million containers in Tacoma compared to 1.78 million in
Seattle, it looks like Tacoma is winning the tonnage race.
Whether Seattle will ever reach or surpass Tacoma in the next few years
is doubtful because Tacoma has acreage to expand and Seattle doesn't.
But both are dependent on increasing Asian imports which may not continue
the way the world is today.
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