Marine cargo operations at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma
supported more than 48,000 jobs in 2013 and generated nearly $4.3 billion in
economic activity, according to a new study commissioned jointly by the two
ports.
The marine cargo activity produced over $378 million in
local and state taxes to support education, police, fire services and road
improvements according to the analysis, which was performed by Martin
Associates, a Pennsylvania-based firm that has conducted economic studies for
ports through the US.
The study included direct jobs, such as trucking companies
and railroads moving cargo to and from terminals and warehouses, longshore
workers, steamship agents and freight forwarders; and indirect jobs like office
supply firms, maintenance and repair firms and parts and equipment suppliers.
“This study reaffirms the critical importance of our ports
as a trade gateway,” Port of Seattle Commission Co-President Stephanie Bowman
said in a statement. “Port activities support tens of thousands of family-wage
jobs across the state. These jobs are crucial to maintaining and growing our
region’s middle class.”
The study comes on the heels of an agreement that the two
ports, which sit 30 miles apart, reached in January regarding sharing
information about operations, facilities and rates in order to help Puget Sound
better compete in the global maritime industry.
“This clearly is a thriving, important industry in our
state, and we need to continue investing and adapting to changing global trade
to meet market demand,” Tacoma Port Commission President Clare Petrich said of
maritime operations. “We continue to explore with our fellow commissioners from
the Port of Seattle ways that we can work more closely together to maintain
these critical jobs and grow cargo volumes through the Puget Sound region.”
