In fact, the concern of the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma is such, that KIRO TV recently dispatched reporter Graham Johnson to Prince Rupert, to see what is happening here and more importantly from a Seattle point of view, just how much impact the expansion plans of the Port of Prince Rupert may have on Seattle's future.
Those expansion plans could see the Port of Prince Rupert having the same size and scope of that of Seattle by 2020, just seven years down the road.
Some observations of Johnson's trip north can be found on the KIRO website, the report takes a look at how Prince Rupert has moved from being but a blip on the global radar to a growing competitor for ports up and down the Pacific coast.
The report highlights the advantages that Prince Rupert has to offer shippers, less congestion at port side, the rail link that runs right to the container terminal and the shorter transit times both from Prince Rupert to inland markets and to overseas destinations.
The other theme of the report seems to be more Seattle centred, where municipal and state officials seem to have their focus on other issues, other than the transportation corridor that Seattle is part of.
In addition to that, it would appear that the competitive nature between the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle is working against a common strategy in Washington state, a situation that could be partially responsible for some of their troubles.
Included in the report are these two video reports, which highlight the troubles facing the Port of Seattle, which it seems from the tone of the report is having troubles finding its place in the changing nature of North America's transportation landscape.
The two video contributions are instructive for North Coast residents to better understand the impact that our particular gateway seems to be having further and further away from our corner of the Pacific.
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