Business - Business News

POSTED: Sunday, Jun. 28, 2009

Bringing 'Green Marine' to Bellingham

There's been some buzz recently about what to do with the Waterfront Innovation Zone, and the right choices could be a great economic boost to this area.

The new facility was the topic of conversation at a Technology Alliance Group meeting held on June 19. Staff from the key players in the project - Port of Bellingham, Western Washington University and Bellingham Technical College - were on hand to give an update and talk about the possibilities.

The 10,000-square-foot facility in the former Georgia-Pacific Corp. tissue warehouse is expected to be completed at the end of July and be used as a partnership between the marine industry and the two schools for research and development. The Waterfront Innovation Zone has already had one project ready to go - creating a lightweight hydrofoil for Bellingham's All American Marine, something the company has been doing on its own in creating low-wake passenger ferries. That work is funded by a $125,000 grant to WWU from All American Marine and Pacific International Engineering.

There is space for WWU and BTC students to train and work on designs, as well as a common area that could potentially be used by the private sector.

What was intriguing to me was the discussion that followed about the possibilities for the facility. One idea was attracting businesses that are working on products that make the marine industry more environmentally friendly. This was brought up by BTC President Tom Eckert, who labeled it the "Green Marine" industry. It's a good fit for Bellingham - this community has a long history of being in the marine trades and has recently been on the forefront of environmental work. Plus, it's a potential growth industry - there doesn't seem to have been a lot done yet in addressing pollution in the shipping industry, he said.

"This has already been started with the low-wake project. Why not become the center of this industry?" Eckert asked the audience.

Why not indeed. All American Marine is already seeing the possibilities. In April the company was awarded a $5.3 million contract to build a high-speed, low-wake passenger ferry and test it in Rich Passage, which is south of Bainbridge Island. If the low-wake design is able to protect sensitive shorelines, it could open up a new market for the company, keeping the company busy for years to come.

If done right, the WIZ could create the same potential for a variety of new technologies. The shipping industry would be interested in more fuel efficient designs, for example, or in alternative fuels to power engines.

Becoming a leader in this type of industry would be a huge step forward economically for this community. For decades the Bellingham waterfront has been dominated by G-P manufacturing and that's a hole in the economy that hasn't been replaced. This seems like a good first step.