Alaska Marine Lines introduces new rail dock for seafood shipping

New rail facility (left) and Northland Services employees, from left, John Emory, Bret Young and Jesse Owen.

Alaska Marine Lines has launched a new rail service dock in Seattle to accommodate seafood shipments from Alaska to Lower 48 destinations in response to the growing demand for service from Alaska Pollock producers. Much of the Pollock was previously routed on vessels that offloaded in Bayside, New Brunswick, Canada, then a short rail trip within Bayside, followed by trucking to eastern U.S. destinations.

The new dock provides a reliable and efficient shipping solution for seafood companies in Alaska. Designed to handle transfers from containers to refrigerated rail cars, it streamlines the transportation process and enables customers to gain access to intermodal service options.

At Lynden, fish season is an 'all-hands-on-deck' event typically lasting from May through October, and the 2023 season is now under way. Alaska Marine Lines's first Western Alaska barge of the season set sail from Seattle on May 5 carrying dozens of fishing boats destined for Dutch Harbor, Dillingham and Naknek (see photo below). Each year, Lynden Air Cargo flies fresh fish from Naknek or Dillingham, Sand Point and Cold Bay to Anchorage where Lynden Logistics arranges flights for air delivery all over the world. Once seafood arrives in Seattle or Fife, Lynden Transport and LTI, Inc. move seafood from destinations using the I-5 corridor.

According to Tyler Maurer, Alaska Marine Lines's Seafood Sales Manager, on average, Lynden moves 10,000 containers of fish each year from Alaska to Seattle and Dutch Harbor. In addition to fresh seafood moving by Lynden Air Cargo and Lynden Transport, Alaska Marine Lines moves frozen and canned fish from Naknek, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Cordova, Valdez, Dillingham, Sand Point, Southeast Alaska and False Pass.

Alaska Marine Lines moved about 5.5 million pounds of Pollock and Cod across the country from January to May (Season A) and is anticipating moving even more than that from June to October (Season B).