It’s the nature of the port’s niche — handling cargo too big or too heavy to fit in a container. That’s called break-bulk cargo. It includes things like big tractors and massive electrical transformers.A 291-ton transformer recently moved through the port en route to the Cherry Point refinery, said Walter Seidl, the port’s marketing director.“You don’t have regularly scheduled ships moving 291-ton transformers. They only need one,” he said.As marketing director at the Port of Everett, Seidl’s job is to make sure the seaport’s piers and terminals are as busy as possible.Tacoma and Seattle have the state’s busiest ports. They mostly handle standardized containers, which dominate marine shipping. Containers are efficient in high volume, but they don’t work for everybody.Everett’s focus on the business of moving big, heavy things requires a soft touch. The port has to maintain a reputation for taking care of customer cargo, Seidl said.Things like massive transformers and airplane assemblies can’t be treated all the same.Also, the port has to do what it can to make everyone’s job easier, from shippers to customs agents. “If we do what we can to make the customs agents’ job easier, they can do their work faster, they can clear ships more quickly. Word gets out” to the shipping industry that cargo won’t sit in line for customs inspection, he said.

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