Editorials / Opinion

HERE'S an eye-catching statistic from the Port of Seattle. In 2011 came a sharp drop in the number of containers moving to foreign ports empty. Our chart shows the reason: a powerful rise in the number of containers leaving Seattle full.

Of what? Lumber for buildings in China. Hay to feed livestock in Japan. Fish and crab for the people of Asia. Apples. Cherries. Paper and pulp. Peas and beans.

The next step is to fill more containers with higher-value manufactured goods. That is no false hope. In its report on the state's economy in 2011, the state Employment Security Department says: "Manufacturing led all sectors in annual job growth."

Manufacturing? Yes. Many of the new jobs are at Boeing, but leading companies all over Washington have begun a cautious economic advance.

"There is a common denominator at those companies," says Port of Seattle Commissioner Gael Tarleton. "They all trade." They import materials. They export some — and with the dollar down they should export more, especially to the booming economies of Asia.

All of this is on the minds at the Port of Seattle, which wants to keep a working waterfront alive in our 21st-century city. It can, with some cooperation.

The state will have to improve its roads and rail crossings. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe will have to improve its Stampede Pass tunnel. Seattle will have to preserve its industrial lands and remain a city that Commissioner Tom Albro says "makes it feel safe to invest here."

For its part, the Port has cut staff and expenses, repairing its balance sheet and credit rating. "We are deciding how we want to invest," says Commissioner Bill Bryant. "That's a conversation you can have only if your house is in order."

The quiet surge of containers going out full — which is also happening in Tacoma — underlines the value of ports that are able to invest and grow.