TACOMA - The Port of Tacoma and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians received a VISION 2050 Award from the Puget Sound Regional Council for the Puyallup Tribal Terminal.
The Puyallup Tribal Terminal is a transformative partnership to create a new ship berth at the Port of Tacoma that will advance environmental innovation and shared regional prosperity. Centering Indigenous leadership, the project redefines the role of Tribes in the global maritime industry as one of the first times a sovereign Tribal Nation has owned and operated a marine cargo facility within a major international gateway.
The new terminal is located on the Blair Waterway, adjacent to East Blair Terminal 1 (EB1). The facility features on-dock rail supports some of the largest vessels in the world and incorporates cutting-edge carbon reduction technologies to ensure sustainable operations.
The Puyallup Tribe’s entry into the maritime sector comes through a historic collaboration with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) and the Port of Tacoma. Under a memorandum of understanding signed in March 2025, the Tribe and NWSA will jointly market and operate both the Puyallup Tribal Terminal and EB1, improving operational efficiency, attracting new shipping business and sharing revenue. The terminal will take 3-5 years to be completed.
Puyallup Tribal Council
“This award is an honor,” said the Puyallup Tribal Council, the Tribe’s elected governing body. “At the very start of our economic development initiative in 2021, we said we were looking for solid partners and projects that would create jobs. The Puyallup Tribal Terminal will benefit the entire region, and we are proud to partner with the Northwest Seaport Alliance to make it happen.”
Commissioner John McCarthy, Port of Tacoma and NWSA Co-Chair
“We are so thrilled to receive this award with the Puyallup Tribe. Monumental change takes monumental vision and we are grateful to be recognized by PSRC for this vision and partnership”
Commissioner Fred Felleman, NWSA Managing Member and Port of Seattle
“PSRC rightly recognizes this agreement is more than the sum of its parts. It creates new, strategic maritime infrastructure, supports family-wage jobs and presents a unique opportunity to expand our partnership with the Puyallup Tribe”
Josh Brown, Executive Director of Puget Sound Regional Council
“The Puyallup Tribal Terminal aligns with VISION 2050 priorities by expanding the region’s trade capacity, reducing environmental impacts through low-carbon infrastructure and advancing equity through Tribal-led development.”
The VISION 2050 Awards celebrate progress to enhance the region’s communities and natural environment while advancing equity and opportunity for all. The awards recognize innovative work in the region to create a better future for central Puget Sound.
The award was presented at the Port of Tacoma on September 12.
VISION 2050 is the region’s plan for growth. By 2050, the region's population will reach 5.8 million people. The region’s cities, counties, Tribes, ports, agencies, businesses, and communities have worked together to develop VISION 2050 to prepare for this growth and serve as a guide for sustaining a healthy environment, thriving communities and a strong economy.
