Tacoma port, Evergreen open Pierce County Terminal

Tacoma port, Evergreen open Pierce County Terminal    The Port of Tacoma, Washington State, and the Evergreen Group, an ocean container carrier, have opened the Pierce County Terminal, a new 171-acre facility on the port's 51-foot-deep Blair Waterway.
   The $210 million Pierce County Terminal has an estimated annual throughput capacity of 840,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
   The facility's 12-track intermodal yard, which accommodates 72 double-stack cars, connects directly to the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads through Tacoma Rail, a regional short-line service.
   'We anticipated our need for future growth,' said S.Y. Kuo, vice group chairman for the Evergreen Group. The new terminal, Kuo said, was a significant commitment to Evergreen's growing business in the Northwest.
   The Evergreen Group is the Taiwan-based parent company of steamship lines Evergreen Marine, Hatsu Marine and Lloyd Triestino, all of which will call at the new Tacoma terminal.