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Sep 22, 2008 ITS and others mark 25 years in Tacoma TACOMA – Twenty-five years ago, when International Transportation Service, Inc. (ITS) and Husky Terminal first came to Tacoma, the Port was just entering the container business, with an annual volume of about 132,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units).  
Today, the Pacific Northwest port has grown to about 2 million TEUs per year with plans for more growth ahead. "Early on, shareholders of ITS and Cooper/T. Smith recognized the potential of the Port of Tacoma and helped put us on the international map," said Port Commission President Dick Marzano. "Much of the success we enjoy today is owed to this long-term partnership and friendship."
 
ITS signed its first lease with the Port of Tacoma in 1983, creating Husky Terminal on the Sitcum Waterway. At the time, Captain Shinta Asami, then-President of ITS, stated, "The goal of ITS management, through the effort of every employee, is to provide maximum efficiency and service to the shipping lines, their agents and their customers, as well as the trucking companies handling their containers."
 
That goal, says Fumito Kawamata, President of ITS, has never changed. "Husky has expanded its business and the Port has met our terminal's growth requirements," he said. "In June 2005, after 22 years of success, Husky relocated to a modern, 38-hectare (93-acre) terminal on Tacoma's Blair Waterway."
 
Cooper/T. Smith ITS and Husky officials today celebrated 25 years in Tacoma. "We remain committed to providing high-quality, highly efficient service to our customers, including "K" Line which calls at Husky Terminal in Tacoma," said Steve Bassett, Vice President of Husky Terminal & Stevedoring, Inc. "We are a part of the Tacoma community, and we look forward to many more years of success here on the deep waters of Commencement Bay."