An Argosy cruise ship full of people move through a waterway on a Port boat tour.

Even in the rain, they came by the hundreds.   

People from across the region took free boat tours of the Port of Tacoma on Sunday, September 13, seeing seaport operations from the best vantage point – the water.

“I’m from Tacoma and I’ve never realized how big this port really is. It is so much bigger and impactful on the local community than I had anticipated,” said passenger Stephanie Hubley. “The weather made it interesting, but it was a still a lot of fun.”

The Port hosted six one-hour tours over the course of the day. Argosy Cruises’ Spirit of Seattle left from Foss Waterway Seaport and passed by the Port of Tacoma’s grain export facility, terminals on the Sitcum Waterway, and Port habitat sites before turning into the Blair Waterway.

People standing on the bow of a cruise ship watch the cranes at Husky Terminal unload a cargo ship.

“It was amazing. I’ve always wanted to be down the Blair Waterway so that was fantastic to see the ships and the cranes and all the industry. It blew my mind,” said passenger Tim Maher.

Passengers saw multiple facilities in the Blair Waterway, including three international container shipping terminals and the East Blair One breakbulk terminal, managed by The Northwest Seaport Alliance.

Pierce County residents who took the tour said it filled in gaps in their knowledge of what the Port does for the community.

“I have background knowledge from osmosis to a certain extent, but it’s the first real experience of here’s what the Port is and what it does, in a clear, coherent, concise way,” said Logan Green.

People taking a boat tour of the Port of Tacoma look out over the bow of a cruise ship

The free boat tours are held annually to introduce the public to the work done at the Port, which supports more than 41,000 jobs in the region. Passengers learned about plans to deepen the Blair Waterway to accommodate larger container ships and to use the clean dredge material to create a new habitat site in East Commencement Bay.

“The tour was wonderful,” said Gina Robbins, who noted the Port’s economic impact far exceeds the modest amount it collects in property taxes. “It’s a good investment for the community.”

People taking a Port of Tacoma boat tour look up at a crane on a rainy day

Visitors also learned about the Port’s new Maritime Center project on the Foss Waterway. The campus incudes new Port offices, public access to a restored shoreline, and Tacoma Public Schools’ Maritime|253 skills center, which opened this month to introduce high school students to careers in the maritime industry.

Free tickets go quickly when they are released several weeks before the annual tours. Subscribers to the Port’s community newsletter, Pier Side, find out first when the tickets become available. You can sign up for Pier Side at this link, which can also be accessed from the Port’s homepage.

Throughout the year, the Port also offers free bus tours, which run for two hours each and provide a view from the land.

A small cruise ship goes by a massive container ship being unloaded at a terminal on a rainy day.

The Port of Tacoma’s next big community event is Touch-a-Truck on Saturday, October 3. The free, family-friendly event runs from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Port’s administration building and offers a close-up look at the equipment used to move cargo and maintain Port facilities. Families also get to meet the people who work at the Port and keep cargo moving. Registration is now open.