Record growth and environmental stewardship.
These were the overriding themes during yesterdays State of the Port address, an event that gathered some 100 employees at the ports headquarters on Sitcum Way.
Doug Ljungren, the ports business manager, highlighted the ports record-breaking growth during 2005: container volume increased 15 percent, intermodal lifts increased 29 percent, and total tonnage was up eight percent.
Thats a heck of an increase, and a real stress on our system, but we did it, said Ljungren. He pointed out that the ports highest throughput totals occurred over the past seven months — an indication that record-breaking growth at the port had momentum. We grew in total, he added. Were not just at a peak. Were not just getting over a hill, were climbing a mountain. Theres no reason to think international trade will not continue to grow in the near future.
Still, the port faced several setbacks last year — namely in its automobile line of business. According to port manager Anthony Taormina, downsizing at General Motors and Ford Motor Company resulted in a flat year for the line of business he leads.
The American auto industry had a challenging year, said Taormina, who reported a 13 percent drop in automobiles shipped through the port. We had a challenging year.
Finally, environmental stewardship was thread throughout yesterdays presentation. In January, the port gave 10 acres of forested land near Orting to Pierce County. Over the past two decades, the port has invested more than $160 million in environmental programs designed to protect wildlife habitats.
