Cargo volumes fell at the port of Tacoma last year, a reflection of the global recession and its effects on US consumer demand and shipping.
The US West Coast port handled 1.86 million boxes in 2008, a drop of 3.3 percent over the previous year.
However, the port of Tacoma fared better than other West Coast ports, which saw an average container cargo decline of 8.78 percent.
"By focusing on the business needs of our customers, shippers and business partners, and aligning the Port of Tacoma's strengths, we captured a larger container market share even as world cargo volumes declined," said port of Tacoma deputy executive director John Wolfe.
From 2002 through 2006, Tacoma set successive container cargo records, with volumes growing from 1.5 million TEUs to 2.1 million TEUs. Then in 2007, the port's container volume fell to 1.92 million TEUs.
While cargo volumes continued to decline in 2008, Wolfe noted that the port's financial performance remained strong. It closed 2008 with US$99.1 million in operating revenue ¨C a 1.3 percent increase over 2007 performance.
Port of Tacoma Commission president Clare Petrich said the port was working to plan and build the facilities and infrastructure that will be needed to keep the port competitive in the future.
"In 2008, we not only moved forward on our terminal redevelopment plans, but we reached significant agreements with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and SSA Containers," she said.
"These agreements lay the foundation for mutual support for each party's terminal development projects."
Petrich said today's down economy provided a good period for port redevelopment and infrastructure investment.
"Ports are much more than crossroads in the global supply chain, they are economic drivers for the communities that they serve," she said.
"In Tacoma, construction of new terminals, road, rail and utility infrastructure and related environmental cleanups creates economic vitality.
"Once these projects are complete, our entire region benefits from the addition of thousands of family-wage jobs."
In other port news, the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency announced a combined match of $318,000 in additional funding for the Clean Air Agency¡¯s Puget Sound Ports Cargo-Handling Equipment Replacement and Retrofit Programme.
This comes on top of $850,000 from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for this new initiative that combines environmental stewardship efforts of several agencies.
The funding supports the retrofit or replacement of 38 off-highway trucks, cranes and forklifts at the port of Seattle, which is approximately 10 percent of its fleet.
At Tacoma, 50 to 60 terminal tractors, cranes, off-highway trucks and general industrial equipment will be retrofitted. That¡¯s about 14 percent of its fleet. All the replaced and retrofitted equipment will use ultra-low sulfur diesel.
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