Cargo Customers Succeed with Port of Olympia

Cargo customers seeking a partner with a highly skilled and collaborative labor force and all the essential assets found at larger ports should contact the Port of Olympia in Puget Sound. 

Port of Olympia’s marine terminal has played an important role in the South Sound’s economy since its formation in 1922. The southernmost port on Puget Sound, the present 66-acre terminal has three deepwater berths with a total of 1,750 lineal feet, along with a 140 metric tons Gottwald mobile harbor crane, an on-dock, open beam warehouse and on-dock rail service. As other West Coast ports concentrate on container cargoes, Port of Olympia has focused on a variety of breakbulk and heavy lift cargoes. In recent years, these operations have included forest products, livestock, bulk grains, steel, oil and gas products, minerals, locomotives, heavy machinery/equipment, military cargoes and layberth.

The marine terminal is centrally located to serve the Puget Sound and the Columbia River Basin, providing ready access to local, regional and international markets. Its location - just one mile from Interstate 5, ten miles from the Olympia Regional Airport and sixty miles from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport – makes the port ideal for any breakbulk shipping needs. On-dock rail service is provided by Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads with switching service provided by Olympia & Belmore Railroad (a Genesee & Wyoming company).

With a large on dock warehouse located 175 feet from the water, the Port of Olympia can provide customers with flexible cargo storage options with competitive prices. The port’s on-dock, 76,000 square foot, open beam construction warehouse facility features eight truck doors with self-leveling ramps and six drive-in doors with spans up to 78 feet wide. Its rail siding has a built-in fall arrest system and the capacity to handle multiple cars. The port has handled bagged cargo, bulk grains, bulk ore, coils, steel, and everything in between.  The Port of Olympia is also the only West Coast port currently active in the export of dairy livestock.  

What truly sets the Port of Olympia apart from the competition is its attention to service and the priority it puts on customers' needs. Customers are the top priority for everyone in the port, including longshore, management, security, and maintenance personnel. 

“The Port of Olympia prioritizes collaboration among all our stakeholders to ensure the customer’s needs are met. Port staff, longshore, security, tenants, maintenance, agents, stevedores and others meet before, during and after cargo operations to find ways to make improvements on our processes. We truly want customers to succeed with us and choose Olympia," says the port’s marine terminal director, Len Faucher.

The Port of Olympia is part of the Green Marine environmental certification program, making it one of the first 40 port authorities to join globally. Green Marine is a voluntary third-party certification program that requires participating port authorities to establish baseline performance indicators in multiple facets of marine terminal operations, then demonstrate tangible year-over-year improvements to maintain certification. The certification system evaluates six distinct operational areas, including, spill prevention, dry bulk handling and storage, community impacts, environmental leadership, waste management and greenhouse gases.

Professional teamwork and partnership with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 47, local stevedoring companies including SSA and Jones, and ship agents such as Talon, ACGI, ISS, General Steamship, Transmarine, and Transversal gives the port 24-hour availability with a reputation for productivity. The port and ILWU Local 47 both aim to exceed expectations and build relationships based on trust as their top priority.  No matter the conditions or the cargo, customers can trust Port of Olympia and ILWU Local 47 to get the job done safely and on schedule - and that is why we say "succeed with us, choose Olympia."

Our team is waiting to discuss your bulk, breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo needs. Contact the Port of Olympia today at https://portolympia.com/.