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May 1, 2007 John Weymer Bob Watters, Vice President Puyallup Tribe, Tacoma SSA Marine, Seattle (253) 405-4893 (206) 654-3523 johnweymer@aol.com bob.watters@ssamarine.com
TACOMA—The Puyallup Tribe has announced a long-term agreement with SSA Marine, Inc. to develop and operate a privately funded, $300 million container terminal on the East Blair Waterway. The terminal will be the largest private investment in the City of Tacoma in recent years. “This partnership will benefit the entire region,” said Herman Dillon, chairman of the Puyallup Tribe. “Several thousand high-paying jobs will be created, and the container shipping volume of the port will be significantly expanded. This partnership between SSA and the Puyallup Tribe reconfirms the tribe’s commitment to economic development and diversification.” The container terminal will have two berths for ships. It will be located on 180 acres, with both the Puyallup Tribe and SSA Marine contributing property. As part of the agreement, SSA Marine will transfer ownership of its 52-acre parcel on the East Blair Waterway to the Puyallup Tribe. Construction of the facility will be completed in approximately four to five years. No public funding is required. “The development of a large international container facility is another major step in fulfilling the promise of progress to members of the Puyallup Tribe,” said Tribal Councilman Bill Sterud, who played a leadership role in the Puyallup Land Claim Settlement. “This agreement has been 25 years in the making. We had a vision back then of the potential of what the port property could be. With this agreement, we are continuing to move down the roads of cooperation and opportunity.” Jon Hemingway, the president and CEO of SSA Marine, agreed. “We are very excited about our new agreement with the Puyallup Tribe,” he said. “SSA Marine has had extensive operations in Tacoma for more than 50 years, and we look forward to this exciting opportunity to invest in the economic future of this area.” The project will allow us to continue our work with the Port Tacoma to increase trade in our region. “We believe that the ports in Puget Sound present tremendous opportunities for our communities and as major gateways for trade,” said Andy McLauchlan, executive vice president of SSA Marine. McLauchlan also cited the leadership demonstrated by Governor Christine Gregoire, Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Congressman Norm Dicks in support of international trade, port competitiveness, security and transportation as reinforcing SSA Marine’s decision to make this commitment at this time. Tribal Councilman Larry LaPointe also cited Congressman Dicks’ leadership in the Puyallup Land Claim Settlement as making this opportunity possible.About the Puyallup Tribe Puyallup Tribe of Indians has over 3,500 members. The administration building is located on Portland Avenue on Tacoma’s East Side, and the tribe’s reservation covers 18,500 acres in Pierce County. The tribe operates Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, Chief Leschi Schools and is heavily involved in measures to improve the local environment, including operating fish hatcheries and monitoring water quality in the Puyallup River. It operates two casinos, a hotel, Chinook Landing Marina, several gas stations and other business enterprises through Marine View Ventures, the tribe’s economic development division. About SSA Marine
SSA Marine, a subsidiary of Carrix, Inc., is the largest U.S. owned, and the largest privately held container terminal operator and cargo handling company in the world, handling approximately 22 million container TEU’s per year. The nearly 60-year-old company serves more than 120 locations worldwide, including port operations throughout the U.S. as well as internationally in Panama, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Canada, Vietnam, South Africa and New Zealand. |
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