The Northwest Seaport Alliance along with the the International Longshore and Warehouse Workers of Local 19, and SSA Terminals, broke ground on July 10 at Terminal 5, marking the first concrete steps in making the facility able to accommodate large ships, adding the capability to handle two of the shipping industry’s largest container vessels at the same time.
Modernizing Terminal 5 will enable the NWSA to handle some of the largest container vessels calling at West Coast ports. As container ships in the 14,000 TEU size regularly call at terminals in the North and South harbors, modernization of Terminal 5 will allow for vessels up to 18,000 TEU.
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It is estimated that Terminal 5 activity will lead to 6,600 new direct jobs and over $2 billion in business activity. Managing Members of the NWSA voted to fund the project in April, pledging $340 million in construction funds, with private partner SSA Terminals contributing up to $160 million toward the project.
The 185-acre terminal is planned to open in two phases, with one major berth ready to handle international container cargo in spring of 2021, and the other berth ready in 2023.
Today we begin the modernization of Terminal 5, the best container handling terminal in the Pacific Northwest. When complete, it will be a cornerstone of our region’s economic activity for decades to come
highlighted Stephanie Bowman, Port of Seattle commission president and co-chair of The Northwest Seaport Alliance.
In addition, Jan Koslosky, vice president of supply chain management for Ocean Beauty Seafoods, mentioned that as an exporter and importer using both ports, it is critical to have access to efficient infrastructure to move goods through these ports.
