Nippon Yusen K.K., a shipping line the Port of Tacoma was counting on to occupy a new 168-acre terminal on the Blair-Hylebos Peninsula, said this week it will likely post its first loss in 23 years.

The company, known as NYK Line, says diminished demand for imports and exports is likely to push its results into the red by $53 million.

NYK, driven by such economic realities, is now reportedly looking for other, less costly terminal options when it moves its Pacific Northwsst base from Seattle to Tacoma in 2012.

The port is putting its plans to build a huge new terminal for NYK on the back burner for now as the line explores other alternatives.

NYK is not alone in seeing financial reversals brought on by the worldwide recession. Japan's third largest shipping line, K-Line, this week forecast a 31 billion yen loss for the year.

K-Line calls at the Port of Tacoma's Husky Terminal.

In an announcement that is both good news and bad for Boeing Co., Ethiopian Airlines today announced $4.2 billion worth of new aircraft orders from Boeing and its rival Airbus.

The order for 12 Airbus A350-900s is the first time Ethiopian, now all-Boeing, had ordered airliners from the European planemaker. Those aircraft will be delivered beginning n 2017.

But Ethiopian did also order five Boeing 777-200LR airliners, the first of which is to arrive in 2010.

The African carrier also left intact its order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners though Boeing's delivery date is some two years behind schedule for the composite aircraft.

The 787 has been hit with production and design delays the latest of which, a problem with the plane's wing-body connection, was announced last month.

Ethiopian had hoped to be flying the 787 soon to expand its network.

The 777-200LRs, the world's longest range passenger jets, are expected to be deployed in new routes from Ethiopia to China and the United States.

The Boeing Co. and and its partner, Calgary's SkyHook International say they've reached a configuration milestone in the design of their SkyHook Heavy Lift Vehicle.

That aircraft, which combines a blimp-like envelope filled with lighter-than-air gas with helicopter-like rotors, is designed to provide heavy-lift capabilities particularly in remote locations.

The two companies say they've now reached the point where their layout and performance specifications on the new craft have been frozen.

The aircraft is scheduled to fly in 2014.

The heavy lift vehicle will be able to lift objects as heavy as 80,000 pounds and move them as far as 200 miles.

The two companies expect significant markets in the oil and gas industries, in construction and logging.

The craft will handle loads twice as heavy as the world's largest helicopter, the Russian Mi-26.

The seemingly ever-changing Sea-Tac Airport traffic routing has changed yet again.

A new exit from the airport's garage now involves a hard right turn after leaving the toll plaza to enter the airport freeway.

For airport patrons from Tacoma, this new exit scheme does have one advantage, it allows access to South 170th Street.

That allows airport users from the south to exit onto 170th and then turn south on International Boulevard to gain access to I-5 via South 188th Street or South 200th Street.

The prior routing made it difficult to exit the airport without first heading north on the airport freeway and then proceeding east toward Southcenter and then south again on I-5.

The new traffic scheme was implemented to allow contractors to erect a new pedestrian bridge from the new Sound Transit airport light rail station now under construction to the airport garage. That rail station is due to open in December. Sound Transit light rail vehicles now stop in Tukwila, 1.7 miles short of the airport. Buses shuttle passengers from there to the terminal.