This article is taken from the March 24 USDA Transportation Report.
On March 18, USDA announced a partnership with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) to enhance access to a 49-acre “pop up” site at NWSA in Seattle.
To reduce operational hurdles and costs, the site will start accepting both dry and refrigerated agricultural containers for temporary storage.
From their new positions on the pop-up site, the containers can be more quickly loaded on ships at the export terminals.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will make payments to agricultural companies and cooperatives that use the NWSA popup site for containers filled with American-grown agricultural commodities.
FSA payments of $200 per dry container and $400 per refrigerated container will help cover additional logistical costs—including drayage and storage—of using the site.
Encompassing the marine cargo operations of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, WA, NWSA is the second-largest container gateway for containerized agricultural exports from the United States.