PORT TO PORT.

• Author: PARMELEE, CATHERINE
• Position: Port of Tacoma, Port of Anchorage - Statistical Data Included

ALASKA'S PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS

Getting the goods to the 620,000-plus population scattered across Alaska's 500,000 rugged square miles presents more unique logistics challenges than any other Pacific Rim trading partner, according to experts at Washington's ports of Tacoma and Seattle. Air and sea transportation is vital from the Pacific Northwest to the Last Frontier. The Pacific Northwest is Alaska's lifeline.

PORT OF TACOMA

Twelve years ago, the ports of Anchorage and Tacoma formalized a partner-port agreement to cooperate on trade, business and economic issues that concern the two harbors and regions. Everything from acorns to zippers sail from the Port of Tacoma--the sixth largest container port in North America--and are delivered to the Port of Anchorage facility. From there, cargo is carried via various transportation means throughout the state. Last year, 367,810 TEUs (Twenty-foot Trailer Equivalent Units) of freight arrived at the Port of Anchorage from the Port of Tacoma.

"Think of it as a big highway," said Roger Graves, government and environmental affairs manager of the Port of Anchorage. "This is the end of the highway."

The Port of Tacoma, which places among the top 25 container ports worldwide, handles about three-fourths of all waterborne commerce between the Lower 48 and Alaska. As the port's second largest trading partner, Alaska produced $3 billion in trade in 1999, and the state's container volume rose one percent in the first half of this year. So it's not surprising that the port promotes itself as the Gateway to Alaska. Essentials, such as sweatshirts, sundries stocked on Safeway's shelves, McDonald fries, mammoth machinery and automobiles are among some of the merchandise moved from the Port of Tacoma to the Port of Anchorage.

A FAR REACH

The Port of Tacoma's facilities, transportation connections, and warehouse and distribution services in the Tacoma area offer an environment for a wide range of Alaska-related business activities. Companies with Alaska-related operations in the Tacoma area include Konoike-Pacific, The Odom Corp., Lynden Transport, Pacific Alaska Forwarders, Supervalu and Trident Seafoods, among many others.

"We're well connected in shipping and support activities," said Tacoma's Director of Port Relations Rod Koon.

The port's premier shipping lines to Alaska are Totem Ocean Trailer Express, or TOTE, and CSX Lines. Each has three vessels servicing Alaska Port-to-port sea transit takes about...