New Northwest Container Terminal
09.03.2008

New building in Fife

American Fast Freight, Inc. (AFF) is an employee owned transportation and logistics company that is expanding.

Soon AFF will break ground in Fife to build a new warehouse and shipping facility which will replace the current Port of Tacoma freight terminal. The new Fife building will provide over 160 local jobs and will neighbor other shipping terminals, commercial buildings and local farms.

The new facility is expected to be completed late 2009 which will consolidate all three AFF Washington locations.

New Northwest Container Terminal
09.10.2007

Docked container ship

The Port of Tacoma will proceed with plans to develop the east side of the Blair Waterway.

After reaching an agreement with the Puyallup Indian Tribe, SSA Marine and NYK Line North America, Inc., the Port of Tacoma will take the first steps towards constructing a new 300 million dollar terminal. The planned container terminal will cover 168 acres and will be leased to Yusen Terminal Tacoma, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of NTK Line and is expected to create 3,200 new jobs.

Completion of the new shipping terminal is estimated to be 2012 which add 1.4 to 1.8 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) to the Port of Tacoma´s throughput capacity. The facility will include a 24 acre intermodal rail yard, a 2,400 foot berth with up to eight super post-Panamax container cranes.

To accommodate the new Yusen terminal, several businesses will have to be relocated, including the TOTE terminal. The facility for the Alaska shipping company, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, will cost the port over 100 million dollars to move a few miles north-east of the current location. In addition the Port of Tacoma expects to spend several million more in land acquisitions but the new 168 acre terminal will eventually be paid for by the Yusen lease.

Alaska Zoo Considers Moving Elephant
08.28.2007

Maggie at the Alaska Zoo

The Alaska Zoo is considering a proposal by the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to relocate Maggie, Alaska´s only elephant to an out of the state facility. The proposal would pay for transportation, veterinary care and all other associated costs to bring Maggie to the PAWS Sanctuary.

The Alaska Zoo Board of Directors has already voted to move Maggie if certain criteria can be met to ensure the elephant´s safety and health. According to the zoo, every effort will be made for a successful move but it acknowledges uncertainty about the timeframe.

In May of 2007 Maggie received injuries as a result of falling and prolonged inactivity on her sides. Currently Maggie is recovering and veterinarian evaluations show that the elephant is now healthy and behaving normally.

Port of Seattle Could See Delays
08.06.2007

Northbound construction, expect delays

Interstate lane closures in Seattle could delay freight to Alaska. Starting August 10th the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close up to three lanes of I-5 in the Seattle area for nineteen days which may have a direct impact on Alaska business who depend on the Port of Seattle to receive their goods.

The WSDOT estimates that for the traffic to keep moving relatively smooth; more than 65,000 vehicles will need to find alternate routes around the construction closures. The expected gridlock may prove to increase container volumes in the Port of Tacoma as businesses adjust shipping methods to avoid delays.

Currently the Port of Tacoma is already experiencing considerable growth, after completing a 22 acre expansion of the Hyundai Terminal, the port is currently in the second phase of 74 to 93 acre expansion for Terminal 4, and is also planning to build a new 300 million dollar, 168 acre container terminal.

Canada asserts sovereignty over Northwest Passage
07.10.2007

Northwest Passage through the Arctic Archipelago

Both Canada and the United States plan to increase their military presence in the Arctic. Canada´s Prime Minister stated that his country will "assert our sovereignty" over what the United States claims as international waters. Canada will spend 7.4 billion on eight new ships to patrol the region while the U.S. Navy is expected to also add to its fleet in the Arctic.

During the brief period in the summer, the Northwest Passage, through the Arctic, offers an attractive alternative to the Panama Canal, saving commercial thousands of miles between Asia and Europe. The Arctic is also estimated to hold nearly 25 percent of Earth´s undiscovered oil and natural gas.

The Northwest Passage runs from the Pacific through the Bering Strait, north of Alaska and east to the Atlantic Ocean, the first successful crossing was in 1906 by Roald Amundsen of Norway who took three years to complete the journey.