Yang Ming to lease Tacoma terminal, considers direct service

Yang Ming to lease Tacoma terminal, considers direct service    Taiwanese carrier Yang Ming Marine Transport said it is negotiating with the port of Tacoma the lease of a terminal in the port and considering the introduction of a direct Yang Ming-operated container service calling at the Pacific Northwest port.
   If concluded, the lease will allow Yang Ming to occupy Terminal 7-D, currently used by “K” Line, by mid-2005. “K” Line will vacate the terminal to move to the larger Terminals 3-4 facility in the port.
   Located on the port’s 51-foot-deep Sitcum Waterway, Terminal 7-D provides 54 acres adjacent to the north intermodal yard. A memorandum of agreement signed by Yang Ming and the port of Tacoma includes an option to expand to 76 acres.
   A final lease agreement will be subject to the approval of both Yang Ming management and the port of Tacoma commission.
   “With their own Tacoma terminal on deep water, Yang Ming will now realize the benefits of Tacoma’s extensive and uncongested rail and highway transportation system, productive labor and a surrounding community that is supportive of the maritime industry,” said Timothy J. Farrell, acting executive director of the port of Tacoma.
   Yang Ming has operated through the port of Tacoma since 1996 by taking space on a service run by its alliance partner “K” Line. The Taiwanese carrier is considering starting its own weekly service in April or May of 2005.