Banking on maritime
A groundbreaking partnership agreed upon will see the Puyallup Indians team up with the Northwest Seaport Alliance to develop a new terminal in the port of Tacoma in the US state of Washington. The aim is to expand the hub’s handling capacities and to further strengthen maritime activities in the Pacific Northwest.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), a joint venture between the US ports of Seattle and Tacoma, has formed a historic partnership with the Puyallup Tribe. Together, the partners want to expand the port area at the East Blair Waterway in Tacoma.
The plan is to build a new berth on a site of around 22 ha owned by the Puyallup Tribe, next to the existing East Blair 1 terminal (EB1), which is operated by the NWSA.
‘Puyallup Tribal Terminal’ to include rail sidings
The new quay, which has been provisionally called the ‘Puyallup Tribal Terminal’, will handle heavylift and ro-ro traffic and offer capacities comparable to EB1, including rail sidings. The NWSA supports the technical implementation and technological measures to reduce emissions.
What is special about the agreement isn’t only the joint operation of the two berths, but also the economic participation of the Puyallup Tribe. According to the agreement, the indigenous community will take over the entire financing, construction and maintenance of the new terminal.
The NWSA will remain in charge of all operating processes at the EB1 terminal. However, both parties will act as a single provider in the market. The Puyallup Tribal Council is pleased, as “never before has a tribe had such an opportunity to cooperate with a port.”
The tribe has been pursuing its diversification strategy since 2020. It invested in a seaplane terminal with Kenmore Air, a restaurant project and an Amazon sorting centre, took over a confectionery factory (Puyallup Chocolates) and was involved in the energy storage sector (Skip Technology), amongst many other projects.
Economic fortune from logistics instead a casino
The NWSA also emphasised the importance of the cooperative effort. “This partnership will strengthen our ability to compete, promote sustainable growth and create new economic opportunities for the entire region,” said John McCarthy, the president of the Tacoma port commission.
Two strategically-oriented subsidiaries were created with the establishment of Tahoma Global Logistics and Tahoma Construction Services. The former will have direct access to shipping lines through the new facility’s capacities – a decisive advantage in order to be able to offer logistics services in an even more targeted manner in the future. The tribe has also built its own transloading building for multimodal handling solutions in Fife.
The terminal is scheduled to open next year. The partners see the initiative as an economic move, but also as a new form of cooperation between indigenous communities and the port industry in North America.