Seattle officials differing fair and foul weather outlooks clash

PUGENT SOUND ports in the US Pacific Northwest bordering Canada face danger of cargo being siphoned off through ports across the border, says Bill Bryant, president of the Port of Seattle.

This comes on the heels of a positive, but sketchy, press release from the port on its second quarter performance with its only reference to the box trade being: "Container volume imports and exports exceed 2009 year-to-date numbers."

"The Port of Seattle is in sound financial shape. Our lines of business are showing a healthy increase over last year, and we will continue to be accountable and fiscally responsible with public funds," said the port's CEO Tay Yoshitani in the release.

But in an address to local Chamber of Commerce, port authority chairman Bryant said all the Puget Sound ports are in danger of being left behind in the near future as Canadian ports syphon off cargo, said a KNOP radio news report.

"The competiveness of the ports in Puget Sound is dependent on our ability to move products through Seattle and Tacoma, over the Cascades and into the American midwest," said Mr Bryant. "That requires a transportation system that works. For too many years we have been underfunding our infrastructure."

Mr Bryant contended that the big difference between the Canadian ports of Canada and the ones in the US Pacific Northwest is the allocation of money "in our political system".

"Both countries spend a lot on transportation projects. But Canada is focusing their spending on developing transportation corridors and that's enabling them to be much more competitive with our ports than I'm comfortable with," he said.

Specifically, he sees Puget Sound in a losing battle with two new super-ports in Vancouver and Prince Rupert. Ocean shipping is only part of the problem, he said. Once it's here, it must be transported overland, much of it by highway, and two major routes in the Seattle area aren't ready for that calling them only "half constructed" in some places, according to the report.

In the press release, Seattle seaport posted second quarter revenues of "US$45.2 million, $1.3 million or 3.0 per cent favourable year-to-date primarily due to higher crane rent and grain volumes."

"This means that total investments in the first half year are more than three times higher than total depreciation in the first half year. Investments will reach EUR545 million this year and will increase further in 2011, to EUR700 million. In this way, the port authority is investing in a healthy future for the mainport and further strengthening of the Dutch economy," said the port authority statement.
(Source:www.schednet.com)