Terminate obsolete marine terminal

There was a time, long ago, when a marine shipping terminal in Olympia made good sense. All sorts of goods came to the greater Olympia area, and even to Centralia, via water. This happened because water transportation was more efficient than land transportation at that time.

Then came I-5. Local goods started to come by land because it was cheaper. Local facilities, like the fuel storage facilities on the peninsula and west bay, were closed down.

The marine shipping terminal now had to compete for cargoes going to and from distant locations. But it could not compete successfully because it has none of the characteristics that make ports competitive, like deep water, proximity to trading partners, good trans-shipment facilities, and plentiful land.

The result is that the marine terminal has lost money for decades.

Every two years Port Commission candidates talk about strategies to make the marine terminal profitable, like cargo diversification. They apparently don't realize that for decades talented people have worked hard to compete, but have been unsuccessful because of this location's inherent weaknesses.

I know there is a certain attraction to being able to see ships loading and unloading in the heart of Olympia. But at what cost? Millions of dollars every year. This is our money which, if redirected to other local needs, could do a great deal of good.

It is time for our Port Commissioners to start preparing to terminate marine terminal operations. Stop the bleeding.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Terminate obsolete marine terminal."