The challenges facing the ports of Seattle and Tacoma can be neatly listed: 1) The trade collapse from the Great Recession; 2) The looming opening of wider Panama and Suez canals, allowing much Asian cargo to bypass the West Coast; 3) Prince Rupert, a day’s sailing distance closer to Asia, and 4) Washington’s slowness to improve transportation infrastructure.
Now you can add a fourth, at least for the middle distance: A melting Arctic Ocean thanks to climate change. A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute discusses how China is quietly preparing for the strategic and trade implications of the ocean being navigable during the summer months. It would speed transit times, especially between Asia and Europe.