The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an expansion of the container assistance programme to include NWSA’s Tacoma Harbor.
The partnership will enhance access to a 16-acre “pop up” site at the West Hylebos near-dock storage to accept either dry agricultural or refrigerated containers for temporary storage at the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) to reduce operational hurdles and costs.
This programme aims to enable agriculture producers to more quickly load exports on ships at marine terminals in Tacoma.
“Over the past year, the Northwest Seaport Alliance has been working closely with ag exporters to help mitigate supply chain challenges,” stated Ryan Calkins NWSA co-chair and Port of Seattle Commission president. “We appreciate Secretary Vilsack’s leadership and look forward to this pilot programme reducing costs for ag producers and helping bring more U.S. exports to foreign markets.”
“In partnership with PCMC, the NWSA has opened more than 60 acres of near-dock storage across our gateway to reduce port congestion and increase export opportunities,” stated Deanna Keller NWSA managing member and Port of Tacoma Commission vice-president “The partnership with the USDA will further our efforts and provide needed relief for ag producers in our region.”
In the meantime, NWSA volumes continue to be impacted by ongoing Covid-related lockdowns at key origin ports in China.
May 2021 was a record month for full imports, making for unfavorable year-over-year comparisons. May volumes decreased 2% to 329,740 TEU with full imports declining 10.1% and full exports declining 28.3% year-over-year.
Year-to-date (YTD) import volumes are tracking ahead of pre-Covid levels and YTD averages, while laden exports continue to struggle from reduced service capacity. Year-to-date volumes declined 2.5% to 1,497,609 TEU, with full imports and exports declining 5.1% and 27%, respectively.
