By Karen Robes Meeks
The Bellingham Shipping Terminal continues to be busy, generating more activity in a week than it has in the last 20 years, according to the port.
Last week, the port loaded 5.2 million board feet of forest products heading to China unto the 590-foot M/V African Egret.
Meanwhile, organic grains that came from Turkey a few months ago via the 590-foot M/V Diana Bolten were being moved from a terminal warehouse to be shipped to local markets.
The activity is welcomed from an area that saw jobs disappear after Georgia-Pacific closed its pulp mill in 2001. Reopening the terminal has been a long road for the port, which had to clean up massive contamination in the Whatcom Waterway and create deeper navigation to accommodate newer, bigger cargo ships.