The port of Bellingham in Washington, USA, has signed a three-year service contract with Ports America, with the option for two additional three-year terms.
As part of the agreement, Ports America will have exclusive stevedoring rights at Bellingham Shipping Terminal for certain types of steel, inbound international forest products, metal/aluminium ingots, modules, as well as oversized and project cargoes.
Much of the inbound cargo will be stored temporarily at the shipping terminal before it is trucked to Canada. The port is in the process of designating the shipping terminal and surrounding areas as a foreign trade zone (FTZ), where customers can store goods without having to pay import duties and taxes.
“This is a major turning point for the Bellingham Shipping Terminal,” said port commission president Ken Bell, adding that the terminal offers a congestion-free alternative to the docks and terminals serving Vancouver and Seattle.
The Bellingham Shipping Terminal features 1,250 ft (381 m) of dock space on a deepwater pier, a 550 ft (167.6 m) barge pier, 85,000 sq ft (7,896.8 sq m) of covered storage, 40 acres (16.2 ha) of available land, and access to resources via rail, barge, rafts, trucks, containers and ocean-going vessels.
Ports America director of breakbulk and project cargo, Bart Goedhard, added: “In addition to abundant berth space, warehouse and laydown space, the terminal is near major cities, has a dedicated truck corridor to I-5 and has close proximity to rail.”
