New Tacoma terminal for NYK subsidiary

Another subsidiary of NYK Line, Yusen Terminals, Inc. (YTI), already operates a terminal in the Port of Los Angeles, and now the NYK Group is expanding into the Puget Sound.

Peter Keller, President of Tokyo-based NYK Line North America Inc., said: “It was important for us to make a long-term decision about our growth. As we looked up and down the US West Coast, Canada and Mexico and considered our options for the future, it became clear that our greatest opportunity was here in the Pacific Northwest. The Port of Tacoma offers growth capacity, a robust road and rail system and strong community support.”

The YTTI terminal is expected to open in 2012. Designed for an annual throughput capacity of 1.4m–1.8m teu, it will include a 24-acre intermodal rail yard and a 2,400 ft berth on the Blair Waterway, which has a depth of 51 ft. The facility will feature up to eight super post-Panamax container cranes, and initial design concepts favour rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) operations.