All of Japan's busy ports were closed Friday to assess damage from Thursday's devastating earthquake.

Its still unclear how those closures will affect ships bound to and from Japan from Puget Sound ports.

"It's a big mess. All discharge operations are suspended in the area," one Japanese shipping broker told Reuters.

Some photos taken after the 8.9 magnitude quake show ships in northern Japanese ports grounded or damaged.

While the quake's damage may prompt a temporary disruption in Japanese shipping operations, the quake may ultimately trigger stronger trade as the country imports goods to rebuild its infrastructure destroyed by the quake and the resulting tidal wave.

The Port of Tacoma receives not only containerized cargo from Japan but also imported autos from Japanese carmaker Mazda.