A Port of Tacoma channel might get deeper. Why that could be good for the local economy
A plan to deepen a Port of Tacoma channel, allowing it to host larger container ships, might soon be taking a step forward after it was included in the annual defense bill.
The Tacoma Harbor Navigation Improvement Project would increase the depth of the Blair Waterway to 57 feet from its current 51 feet MLLW, or “mean lower low water.” The project was given the go-ahead in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House on Thursday but still needed Senate approval and President Joe Biden’s signature as of Friday.
Officials view deepening the channel as a move to make the port more competitive in the shipping industry that plays a significant role in the regional and state economy. It can be difficult for larger ships to get in and out of the port, putting the region at risk of losing business to deeper Canadian ports and raising the prospects of higher transportation costs locally, according to Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office.
“This is a big economic win for the Port of Tacoma and the entire South Puget Sound,” Cantwell, a Democrat, said in a statement. “This will help the port continue to support and grow good paying jobs and boost Washington state’s $53.7 billion export economy, ensuring the Port of Tacoma and Seaport Alliance remain a top competitor in the global trade market.”
Marine cargo operations at Tacoma and Seattle ports in 2019 accounted for $12.4 billion in economic activity and more than 58,000 jobs, according to her office.
In the statement sent Thursday after the House passed the annual defense bill, Cantwell’s office said the senator had fought for the legislation to include the Water Resources Development Act, which is the bill that specifically authorizes the estimated $343 million Port of Tacoma project to move to design and construction phases.
The water resources act received support from the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association and Port of Tacoma.
“This legislation is a real win for the Pacific Northwest, from modernization and increased resiliency of our coastal port infrastructure, to ensuring small and rural ports are able to compete, and our inland navigation system can support the movement of U.S. goods to global markets,” PNWA executive director Heather Stebbings said in a statement.
Cantwell’s office said that some container ships have nearly doubled in size in the past five years and that the United States had invested only $45 million in Washington state ports between 2016 and 2020. During the same period, British Columbia poured $372 million into port project funding.
The Army Corps of Engineers in spearheading the project. It typically receives funding through yearly congressional appropriations.
In 2018, the Army Corps and Northwest Seaport Alliance agreed to split the costs of a $3 million study of deepening Blair and Sitcum waterways at the Port of Tacoma. The Tacoma Harbor Navigation Improvement Project “reached a major milestone” on May 26, when the Army Corps signed a Chief of Engineers’ Report for the project, which paved the way for Congress to consider authorizing it, according to an Army Corps news release at the time.
The project’s draft report and environmental assessment also recommended widening the channel to 865 feet from 450 and expanding the turning basin at the end of the waterway to up to 1,935 feet in diameter.
