Seattle, Tacoma file new discussion agreement

   The ports of Seattle and Tacoma said last week that they have filed a discussion agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission that will allow them “to gather and share information to identify potential options for responding to unprecedented industry pressures.
   “The leaders of both ports believe that recent developments in the shipping industry threaten the future of the Pacific Northwest trade beyond anything they have seen during the usual boom/bust cycles in the Pacific trade,” wrote Tay Yoshitani and John Wolfe, the chief executive officers of the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma in a letter to the FMC.  They said the letter was meant to provide background and context for the agreement.
   Among the developments the ports cited were…