Critical Port Hardens its Security Strategies

Known more as a logging town before the Northern Pacific Railroad entered the area, Tacoma, Washington, did not truly become a booming metropolis until a port operation was developed. “That is what’s interesting about Tacoma’s maritime history,” says Foss Waterway Seaport’s Working Waterfront Museum Curator of Collections Joseph Govednik. “In many cases, cities were built first, and ports were developed later. But in Tacoma, the port came first, and the city followed.”

Today, the Port of Tacoma is a significant economic engine, where double-digit growth in both imports and exports propelled a 16 percent gain in its 2012 container volumes. Breakbulk cargo volumes ended 68 percent higher for the year. In shipping, breakbulk covers goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. This year, port officials forecast 14 percent growth in container volumes, along with a seven percent boost in auto imports and moderate gains in grain and log exports.