Washington has 75 port districts within the state which move freight regionally, nationally, and internationally via the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia/Snake River system. Washington has the world's largest locally controlled port system, handling 8 percent of all U.S. exports and receiving 6 percent of the nation’s imports. In 2006, the value of all documented international trade entering or departing Washington ports reached $150 billion.
Washington’s ports include 11 deep-draft ports; seven of which are located in the Puget Sound, one in Grays Harbor on the coast, and three on the Columbia River. The largest ports are the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, which together comprise the second largest load center in the nation, behind the complex at Los Angeles/Long Beach.
The Columbia/Snake River system stretches 365 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. There are three deep-draft ports along this system located in Longview, Kalama, and Vancouver. Upstream, the Ports of Klickitat, Pasco, Kennewick, and Benton are served by barge along the Columbia. The Ports of Whitman County, Walla Walla, and Clarkston are served by barge along the Snake River.