In a celebration of excellence and collaboration, The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) unveiled the winners of its 2025 North Star Awards. With an expanded lineup that includes seven distinct honors, this year's awards recognize the innovators and leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the NWSA gateway and our region’s supply chain.

The North Star Awards recognize exceptional performance across key categories: the Cargo Anchor Awards for volume growth, the Service Excellence Award for service delivery and value-add to the gateway’s supply chain, and the Environmental Stewardship Award for sustainability. New this year, are the Partnership awards, celebrating marine terminals and trucking companies that keep the gateway running smoothly.

"The success of the Northwest Seaport Alliance is built on the strong foundation of our industry partners," said NWSA Co-Chair John McCarthy and Port of Tacoma Commission President. "The North Star Awards highlight those who go above and beyond, demonstrating the kind of excellence that propels our entire supply chain forward. We extend our deepest gratitude to all the awardees for their critical role in ensuring our gateway remains competitive and resilient."

“This year’s North Star Award winners are a testament to the power of partnership and innovation,” stated NWSA and Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed. “Their leadership and commitment not only strengthen our gateway today, but also position us to navigate future challenges and seize new opportunities in the global marketplace. We are deeply grateful for their dedication and proud to celebrate their success.”

 

2025 North Star Award Winners

• Importer of the Year: Abercrombie & Fitch
• Exporter of the Year: Allied Potato
• Ocean Carrier of the Year: Yang Ming Line
• Service Excellence Award: Tri Cities Intermodal
• Terminal Partner Award: Husky Terminal
• Trucker Partner Award (Co-Recipients): Provisioners Warehouse, Shippers Transport Express, Spirit Transport Systems
• Environmental Stewardship Award: Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC)

 

Stories of Success

This year’s winners showcase impressive achievements that support the diversity and strength of the NWSA gateway. Abercrombie & Fitch earned the Importer of the Year award by significantly growing cargo volumes in the NWSA gateway, utilizing innovative logistics models and expanding their supply chain to include both local transloading and IPI rail at NWSA. Allied Potato, the Exporter of the Year, grew its exports by a remarkable 30% and invested in a full solar power system for its facility, demonstrating a commitment to both growth and sustainability.

Yang Ming Line, a long customer of the NWSA, was recognized as Ocean Carrier of the Year for achieving the largest year-over-year container volume increase. This year’s Service Excellence Award recognized Tri Cities Intermodal for its privately funded intermodal facility in Eastern Washington, a vital component of the PNW’s transport network, which has reduced highway traffic and emissions while boosting efficiency for the region’s exporters.

The new Partner Awards celebrate exceptional teamwork. Husky Terminal was named Terminal Partner of the Year after being voted the preferred terminal by the Washington Trucking Associations for its strong customer service, operational flexibility, and key added shifts like Hoot gates.  Provisioners Warehouse, Shippers Transport Express, and Spirit Transport Systems are co-recipients of the Trucker Partner Award for being recognized by marine terminals for their consistent, reliable service, on-time performance, and collaborative business practices.

Finally, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), the world’s largest carrier, received the Environmental Stewardship Award for its outstanding participation in the Quiet Sound Voluntary Slowdown for Commercial Vessels program, with 94% of transits participating in the 2024-25 slowdown, and exploring other noise reduction strategies that help protect endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance extends our congratulations to all the 2025 North Star Award nominees and recipients for their exemplary performance and dedication to the shared success of our gateway and region.

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