The little engine that could

Dubbed “the little engine that could” by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (a reference to its much bigger rival, Seattle), the port recorded a 47% increase in container volumes in February.

Breakbulk volumes however have been stagnant, although the port expects the full year to match 2012. The switch of the Grand Alliance from Seattle has certainly brought a new swagger into its outlook.

Tacoma’s confidence is reflected in the 10-year plan to 2022.

The elements of the plan are: double container volumes to 3m teu; double dry bulk volumes to 12m metric tons; increase breakbulk volumes by 30% to 200,000 short tons; increase auto imports by 20% to 200,000 units; improve its operating margin by 30%; increase net income by 50%; increase return on assets by 35%; clean up an additional 200 acres of port-owned contaminated property to industrial standards; reduce diesel pollutants from cargo operations by 85% from 2005 baseline; and increase port-related direct jobs by 4,700 and indirect jobs by 2,000.

However, Tacoma’s decision to hire a public relations firm to work on its ‘brand identity’, with the aim of making the port much better known domestically and internationally, has drawn criticism. One observer tells Port Strategy that ports should stick to marketing themselves on a narrower basis, such as joining with other ports on sales missions abroad.

Hueneme has hired the same public relations firm to do the same thing for a fee of $100,000, which has evoked even more criticism because the port is finding it difficult to come up with the money to pay for cold ironing facilities.

The port has struggled to get money for the system, which was projected to cost $9m but now is expected to cost about $11.4m, according to a chart presented to the Oxnard Harbor Commission board by the project’s manager.

Perhaps coincidentally, Hueneme intends to raise terminal fees for imported vehicles to $26 each from $24. The last increase was 18 years ago.