Posted on March 19, 2025
The Puyallup Tribe and Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) team up to expand Tacoma’s maritime operations by constructing a new pier on the East Blair Waterway. This historic partnership will increase shipping capacity and job opportunities in the region.
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians entered into an historic agreement Monday with the Northwest Seaport Alliance, which will include developing a new berth on the Blair Waterway at the Port of Tacoma.
The development aims to address capacity constraints by building a new tribal terminal. Representatives signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to formalize the deal.
Under the terms of the MOU, the Tribe and the NWSA intend to construct a new pier adjacent to one on the East Blair Waterway and to jointly market and operate both facilities.
The new site will handle breakbulk cargo as a roll-on/roll-off shipping terminal on 22 acres of the tribe’s property.
The new Puyallup Tribal Terminal will operate next to East Blair 1. Preliminary development estimates put construction at three to five years, and ahead of construction, there is work is to be done on widening the waterway.
Officials from the tribe and NWSA/Port of Tacoma noted the agreement had taken decades to achieve. The NWSA is an operating/marketing partnership of the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma.
Bill Sterud, Tribal Council chairman, said that “There was 40 years of intensive negotiation and battling and friendship and handshaking and friendship and battling that took place between the Port Tacoma and the Puyallup Indian Tribe.
“So it’s been quite a deal going through this so that we’re here,” he added.
“Picture, if you will, 40 years ago, a young Bill Sterud and a young John McCarthy sitting at the same table,” said Port of Tacoma Commission President John McCarthy on Monday. McCarthy, who is also NWSA co-chair, noted “both the Northwest Seaport Alliance and the Puyallup Tribe are bringing our individual strengths and assets to this partnership, where we will be able to grow together to establish a world-class facility that will set us apart in the global marketplace.
“We have cargo owners and carriers ready to call our harbor, and we have a partnership with the tribe that will enable us to serve these new cargo customers for years to come,” he added.
Toshiko Hasegawa, Port of Seattle Commission president and Northwest Seaport Alliance co-chair, said that “By working together, we can keep up with growing cargo volumes and create meaningful economic opportunities for generations to come.”
Also in attendance Monday were U.S. Reps. Marilyn Strickland and Emily Randall, who both praised the news.
NWSA media representative Melanie Stambaugh Babst told The News Tribune the estimated cost of development is $200 million.
This aerial view of the Blair Waterway shows the site of the existing East Blair 1 terminal (right, with ship) and the intended future Puyallup Tribal Terminal (left). Northwest Seaport Alliance
Plans call for the Tribe to “fund, construct, and own Puyallup Tribal Terminal and associated acreage to include all maintenance, repair and replacement of facilities. The NWSA will continue to be responsible for cargo activities at EB1,” according to a joint announcement following Monday’s news conference.
The release also provided more details on the operations.
The partnership with NWSA will include a Tribal Employment and Development Program “to provide the necessary skills to transition member capabilities for opportunities and success in the maritime environment,” according to the joint announcement. “Operating income generated by both terminals will be divided between the Tribe and the NWSA in a revenue sharing agreement.”
It also noted that “Primary imports to EB1 are automobiles and heavy equipment which are driven off vessels and then readied for transport and sale across North America. The new Tribal pier will feature comparable capabilities to the existing pier including on dock rail and featuring carbon reduction technology to minimize localized pollution impacts as well as global warming impacts.”
The port will continue to work alongside the tribe “to finalize the design, permitting and construction processes,” it added.
The expansion, along with expanding the port’s capabilities, will also benefit Tahoma Global Logistics, the Puyallup Tribe’s global logistics company, by gaining direct access to shipping lines to market its services.
The tribe has been on an ambitious path of growth the past few years. Other initiatives have included partnering with Kenmore Air and Roy Yamaguchi to open a seaplane terminal and Woven Seafood & Chophouse on its Ruston Way property; partnering with Amazon to open a new sort center; the purchase of a Fife candy maker branded today as Puyallup Chocolates and more.
