Harbor Maintenance Tax Funding, gateway operations, and federal grant strategy set for Tuesday’s meeting

HeaderMSC Monterey at Terminal 5

January 7, 2022

IN THIS ISSUE:

Harbor Maintenance Tax Funding, gateway operations, and federal grant strategy set for Tuesday’s meeting

At their January 11 meeting, The Northwest Seaport Alliance Managing Members will welcome new Commissioners and leadership for 2022. New Port of Seattle Commissioners Toshiko Hasegawa and Hamdi Mohamed will join the Managing Members for their first public meeting. Additionally, 2021 co-chairs Fred Felleman and Dick Marzano will pass the gavel to incoming Port of Seattle Commission President Ryan Calkins and Port of Tacoma Commission President Don Meyer to become 2022 co-chairs.

Managing Members will hear an update on gateway operations, including the opening of Terminal 5 in Seattle. They will also be briefed on the NWSA Grant Strategy that aims to increase funds received from the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

In addition, Managing Members will also be asked to adopt the Harbor Maintenance Tax Funding distribution for 2022 which authorizes the use of cash for eligible NWSA capitalized projects and the return of cash to the two home ports for expensed projects.

View the full agenda.

The virtual meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. Meetings are streamed live from the alliance’s website.

 To deliver comments during the public comment portion of the meeting, please send an email to nwsacomment@nwseaportalliance.com by 9 a.m. Monday, January 10, 2022, that includes your name, the telephone number you will be calling from, and the agenda topic you wish to speak to. Please include “speaker” in the subject line. Written comments may be submitted to the same email address and will be provided to the commissioners. 


Terminal 5 Open for Business

Terminal 5

On Friday January 7, SSA Marine and the NWSA welcomed the MSC Monterey as the first vessel to call the newly modernized Terminal 5.

The Terminal 5 Modernization Program launched in 2016 to expand gateway cargo capacity and enable The Northwest Seaport Alliance to service the largest vessels in the Transpacific trade. Construction on the new facility began in July 2019, fueled by the combined investment from NWSA Managing Members and SSA Marine of approximately half a billion dollars.

Operated by SSA Terminals, the facility includes a new and fully rebuilt berth and dock, four new super post-Panamax cranes, and an on-dock intermodal yard.  Terminal 5 has long been considered a premier container cargo facility on the West Coast because of its naturally deep berth, wide footprint, and on-dock rail access. Completion of Phase One of this project brings much-needed additional terminal capacity for shippers using the NWSA gateway and creates job opportunities in the Puget Sound region.

Construction of Phase Two, which will add a second berth, is already underway and scheduled for completion by the end of 2023. Read the press release here.

*Banner photo courtesy of Russ Read. Section T5 photo courtesy of Tim Durkan.


November continues volume growth in NWSA Gateway

The Northwest Seaport Alliance saw a 7.8% increase year over year from November 2020, handling a total of 325,604 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Full imports grew 7.5%, while full exports decreased 18.4%.

Year-to-date volumes improved 15.4% to 3,482,104 TEUs, with full imports growing 20.9% and full exports declining 10.5%.

Read More


Thankful for Service of Past Commissioners

Commissioners Bowman and Steinbrueck

At the December 7th Managing Member meeting, Commissioners and NWSA staff concluded the gathering by honoring the service of outgoing Commissioners Peter Steinbrueck and Stephanie Bowman from the Port of Seattle. Both Commissioners served the homeport as well as The Northwest Seaport Alliance as Managing Members.

The NWSA appreciates the Commissioners’ dedication to promoting economic growth through marine cargo activities and working to expand the Seattle + Tacoma gateway through supporting our import and export customers, helping facilitate trade that benefits our regional businesses, and advocating for environmental policies that assist near-port communities.


NWSA Welcomes New 2022 Co-Chairs

2022 Co-Chairs

The NWSA is guided by ten Managing Members comprised of Commissioners from the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma. Managing Members are led by the commission presidents of the two homeports who act as co-chairs for the Alliance.

With the start of a new year, the NWSA welcomes Port of Seattle Commission President Ryan Calkins and Port of Tacoma Commission President Don Meyer as the 2022 Managing Member co-chairs. Together, the co-chairs will represent Seattle and Tacoma in matters relating to marine cargo operations across the region.

The NWSA thanks immediate past co-chairs Commissioner Fred Felleman and Commissioner Dick Marzano for their dedication to growing economic activity, family-wage jobs, and environmental stewardship across the gateway.


Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy Implementation Plan Adopted

NWSA Implementation Plan

The ports of Seattle, Tacoma, and the combined container operations of the NWSA have adopted near-term implementation plans that guide emission reduction efforts for seaport-related activities. The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy covers six sectors of port activity: oceangoing vessels, cargo-handling equipment, trucks, harbor vessels, rail, and port administration and tenant facilities. The recently adopted implementation plans direct changes in equipment, fuels, and infrastructure to fulfil the ports’ voluntary commitment to the Clean Air Strategy’s vision of phasing out seaport-related emissions by 2050 to support cleaner air for local communities. 

Read the NWSA's 2021-2025 Implementation Plan adopted by the Managing Members in December.

Learn more about the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma's plans here.


Zero-emission trucking technology Webinar

Washington Trucking Associations, in collaboration with the NWSA and industry leaders, has introduced its "Zevinar Series" exploring the current state of zero-emission vehicle technology and the hurdles and challenges for commercial vehicle adoption. You're invited to attend their next webinar:

Charging Systems Batteries don't work without chargers. Michael Wegecsanyi from Heliox and Aravind Kailas, Ph.D., from Volvo Group North America will be presenting on battery charging technology, equipment cost, and infrastructure requirements.

January 13, 2022  |  4:00 PM

Register here