Mid-Columbia ports to partner with Seattle, Tacoma on logistics hub
Cargo containers sit stacked up on the docks at the Port of Seattle. Billions of dollars of Washington agricultural products are shipped internationally every year and the volatile trade environment in the first part of 2025 has caused uncertainty among many in agriculture.
Courtesy Washington State Department of AgricultureRepresentatives from the ports of Benton, Pasco and Walla Walla will sign an agreement Feb. 5 in Olympia with the ports of Seattle and Tacoma to leverage the Tri-Cities’ strategic location and resources to ease trade with the global market.
The interlocal agreement will establish the Inland Logistics Hub in the Tri-Cities using the region’s availability of industrial land and access to transportation networks such as rail, highways and the Columbia and Snake rivers, according to a release.
Specific details of how the hub will operate were not immediately disclosed. The ports said the agreement will drive economic development and job creation across the state, improve access to the global market for agricultural and industrial products and ease truck congestion in Puget Sound, improving shipping efficiency.
“This landmark partnership will enhance international trade, expand cargo movement, increase family-wage jobs and strengthen Washington state’s supply chain infrastructure,” the ports said in a statement.
