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and recreational vessels, a 250-site campground and over 100 land and water lot leases which now house businesses such as ship repair, water bottling, and seafood processing. The shift to other economies has been a successful strat- egy for the Port, noted Carter. “We see a lot of commer- cial and recreational traffic through Port Alberni attracted by the location being one of the best fisheries on the West Coast,” he said, adding that the campground became one of their most successful money-makers, especially during COVID when tourism travel habits changed. Of the lease properties, Carter described a transformation on the waterfront. “We had an old warehouse used for stor- age and a derelict fish plant that has since been revitalized and we now have eight anchor tenants with an expansion project underway to increase space by another 3,600 square feet that will include a high-pressure processing unit that automates oyster shucking. The oysters are then cryogenic- ally frozen, extending their shelf life by up to 30 extra days.” In addition to the innovations being seen in the seafood processing sector, Carter reported that the Port was looking at options to increase ship building and repair as well as ship recycling to capitalize on existing facilities. Port Authority of Guam General Manager Rory Respicio spoke on behalf of the Port Authority of Guam (PAG) and introduced Conchita Taitano, Vice Chair, and Joe Javellana, Chief Planner before providing an update on activities. He also recognized the attendance of Associate Members Annmarie Muna and Tricia Granillo with AM Insurance located in Guam. Noting that the Port is responsible for 90 percent of goods imported and exported onto the Island, Respicio added that they are also responsible for national security. “Over the last several years, our Master Plan has highlighted the fact that if the port is not ready, then the military will not be ready,” he said before describing initiatives achieved and underway. Respicio started by thanking Ms. Taitano whose efforts secured a $2.4-million Clean Ports Grant for decarboniza- tion efforts and sustainability projects. He then described the Glass Breakwater project in Apra Harbor — a $573-mil- lion military construction project that will restore infra- structure (both military and civilian) damaged by Typhoon Mawar. The project started in April 2025 and is expected to take roughly four years to complete. Respicio described negotiations with Black Construction Corporation, the contractor for the Glass Breakwater pro- ject, that resulted in a four-year lease valued at over $10.5 million, covering more than 374,000 square feet of port property with significant investment made toward the Port’s ongoing mission to modernize infrastructure, enhance
Work is now underway to restore the Glass Breakwater that protects Apra Harbor, Guam.
security and support both current and future operations critical to Guam and the broader region. “At the end of the four-year project, we will see the entire area returned to the port where we can create potential commercial revenue for years to come,” he said. Port of Everett
Tom Stiger, Commis- sioner from the Port of Everett, started by not- ing that, as new Port Members, this was his first annual meeting. He was pleased to be able to
contribute to the discussion. “Everett is located approxi- mately 30 miles north of Seattle where we operate three lines of business: our international seaport, the largest public mar- ina on the West Coast, with the largest public boat launch in Washington, and real estate development,” he said, add- ing that the marine terminal sector of the Port represented about 70 percent of port revenue. Looking first at the marine terminals, Stiger noted that in addition to handling breakbulk cargo and containers, the
October/November 2025 — PACIFIC PORTS — 13
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