The NWSA’s infrastructure improvements have placed the bi-port alliance of Tacoma and Seattle on a path to building capacity to pair with the existing diverse cargo handling mix. But headwinds in the form of tariffs and other related decrees could be on the way.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) is a port cargo operating partnership comprising the Puget Sound ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The ports are equal members in the NWSA yet remain separate organizations that retain ownership of their respective assets. And it’s a port business arrangement that has worked exceedingly well as the 3.34 million TEUs the NWSA handled in 2024 attests.
However, a closer look at the NWSA’s cargo throughput reveals a complex port structure that serves a variety of critical roles in the economy of the Pacific Northwest.
But the NWSA isn’t just about containers. The port partnership handled over 400,000 metric tons of breakbulk cargo, over 337,000 units of autos, and even nearly 880,000 mt of petroleum. It is this combination of cargo that makes the NWSA uniquely valuable to the economic well-being of the Pacific Northwest.
This year started well for the NWSA as the container throughput was nearly 265,000 TEUs compared to just over 211,000 TEUs in January of 2024. And in another positive sign, full international imports increased 34.7%, the eleventh consecutive month of growth and 9.5% above the gateway’s five-year average for the month. Some of this total was shippers boosting inventories ahead of the earlier than usual Lunar New Year. However, analyst believe some of the throughput was due to shippers front-end loading inventories in advance of the Trump Administration’s imposition of tariffs.
However, the diverse cargo mix, and the domestic business could provide some insulation to the chill that the administration’s tariffs and the impact of the proposed legislation on Chinese built ships could have on the alliance.
Building Port Infrastructure
The NWSA has been active in building port-related infrastructure. Almost exactly a year-ago Phase 2 of the Terminal 5 Modernization Project was completed. With the completion of Phase 2 now NWSA has 185-acres of cargo capacity and can handle ultra-large containerships vessels. The project included two reconfigured berths with six state-of-the-art super-post Panamax cranes to enhance operational efficiency, while the on-dock rail at Terminal 5 serves the region’s agriculture exporters while also reducing truck traffic. The facility is also anticipating the installation of more refrigerated plug-ins to support reefer cargo — frequently deployed for agricultural exports as well as other perishables.
Besides the perishables the NWSA has been bolstering the auto business infrastructure. In February 2024, the auto business launched at Terminal 46 when the NWSA welcomed the GLOVIS vessel Silver Sky. Additionally, the NWSA partnered with PTSC on a partial reconfiguration of Terminal 46’s yard to add additional auto storage. The changes added around 750 spots, which brings the total auto capacity to around 7,750 units. The reconfiguration also will help the NWSA handle greater volumes of breakbulk freight, especially oversized ‘high and heavy’ shipments.
Rail connections are a key feature of the NWSA with the BNSF and Union Pacific Class 1 rail connections to the US hinterland. But rail isn’t all about the trunk lines. In February 2024 the NWSA announced a new rail connection with Eastern Washington. The intermodal ramp — located in Wallula, Washington, and operated by Tri-Cities Intermodal (TCI) — provides Washington agriculture exporters with direct rail service to NWSA marine terminals and global markets. Additionally, the NWSA inaugurated a cargo and service incentive program aimed at bolstering international container rail cargo volumes and improving service delivery in the gateway. The incentives include the Voyage Consistency and On-Time Arrival Award Program and the International Container Rail Cargo Incentive.
Tacoma Plans New Berth on the East Blair Waterway
Perhaps the biggest infrastructure news for the NWSA was the March 2025 announcement that “the Puyallup Tribe and The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) have joined forces to expand the region’s shipping capacity through construction of a new berth on the East Blair Waterway.” The new berth is a big deal for the NWSA as it stands to significantly increase the cargo capacity of the alliance and improve its competitive position in the Pacific Northwest for future ship calls. Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the Puyallup Tribe and the NWSA intend to construct a new pier adjacent to the existing one on the East Blair Waterway and to jointly market and operate both facilities. The new pier has the working name “Puyallup Tribal Terminal.”
The Tribe intends to build a new pier on approximately 22-acres of Tribal property adjacent to the existing East Blair Terminal 1 (EB1). The EB1 terminal is operated by The Northwest Seaport Alliance and receives roll-on, roll-off (Ro/Ro) and breakbulk cargo. The main imports to EB1 are autos and heavy equipment.
The new Tribal pier will feature comparable capabilities to the existing pier including on-dock rail and carbon reduction technology to minimize localized pollution impacts as well as global warming impacts. Additionally, the NWSA will offer technical support to ensure consistency and efficiency between the piers.
The Port of Tacoma and Puyallup Tribe have already worked together on the advance preparations needed in the Blair Waterway to allow for the development of the new pier. The Port has invested in conceptual design work, waterway depth analysis, and ship simulation plans for cutback and dredging work will provide unimpeded vessel navigation to the piers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has also been an involved in the groundwork to building the pier.
Overall, the improvements to the NWSA ports’ infrastructure will provide the alliance with greater cargo handling efficiencies and the capacity necessary for future port calls.
