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At their Tuesday, August 1 meeting, The Northwest Seaport Alliance Managing Members will take action on Terminal 5’s Third Lease Amendment. Commissioners will vote on reaffirming their authorization of the Phase Two lease. This Amendment leases the Phase Two south berth to SSA Terminals and details financial responsibility for additional terminal improvements. The Managing Members authorized a previous version of the lease last year, with this action re-committing the NWSA to entering into the lease agreement with SSA.
The Managing Members will also consider continuing the Sea Grant Fellowship program with the University of Washington through approving a new interlocal agreement. This would allow the NWSA to host one full-time Hershman Fellow from September 2023-2024.
Commissioners will also hear two Resolutions: a first reading of Resolution 2023-06 which authorizes a third-party review of NWSA project costs incurred since 2015 and a comprehensive review of the Interlocal Agreement and Alliance Charter, and the second reading of Resolution 2023-04 “A Commitment to the Success of The Northwest Seaport Alliance.”
Finally, Commissioners will hear briefings on the Terminal 5 Modernization Program as well as the recently launched Puget Sound Zero-Emission Truck Collaborative.
View the full agenda.
The in-person meeting begins at 11:30 am at Port of Seattle’s Conference Center. Meetings are also streamed live from the NWSA’s website.
To deliver comments by phone during the public comment portion of the meeting, please send an email to nwsacomment@nwseaportallianice.com by 9:00 a.m. Monday, July 31st, 2023, that includes your name 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.
Washington United Terminals (WUT) received two additional super post-Panamax cranes in June. These new ZPMC cranes boast a 24-wide container row reach, a lift above crane rail of 175 feet, and a lift capacity of 65 long-tons using a spreader and 100 long-tons with a cargo beam. The cranes are expected to be operational later this summer following a commissioning period. This investment will further expand on WUT’s capability to handle the larger vessels being deployed in the transpacific trade.
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June saw the highest container volume of the year at the NWSA, posting 252,232 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the month. Full imports increased 16.1% over May while full exports increased nearly 5%. Ocean service schedule consistency has improved at the gateway, helping drive the month-over-month improvement. Total container volume for June decreased 18.4% over June 2022. Full imports declined 19.9% while full exports for the month decreased 13.8%.
Year-over-year comparisons continue to reflect the pandemic-driven conditions of 2022 and ongoing soft import demand relative to last year. Total TEUs declined 22.8% YTD to 1,394,347 TEUs, with full imports and exports declining 29% and 4.2%, respectively.
Read more here.
The Puget Sound Zero-Emissions Truck Collaborative (Collaborative), which brings together representatives from more than 25 stakeholder groups, — including truck manufacturers, trucking companies, warehousers, retailers, utilities, and near-port communities, and NGO’s — launched on June 30. The Collaborative will develop a strategy for a just and equitable transition to zero-emission drayage trucking in the Puget Sound region by 2050 or sooner.
The Collaborative’s main charge is to develop a Decarbonizing Drayage Roadmap that maps out strategies for capitalizing on new opportunities — such as increases in state and federal funding — and address key challenges — such as the high relative costs of zero-emission trucks and the current lack of charging and fueling infrastructure — by the end of 2024. Their work will be guided by the best available data and research as well as ongoing engagement with drayage truckers, near-port communities, and other key stakeholders.
More information on the Collaborative can be found here.
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Earlier this week, GSC, a nationwide provider of 3PL services, announced the acquisition of MacMillan-Piper, a key transload company in the Pacific Northwest. MacMillan-Piper has been a significant partner in the NWSA gateway and provided services to importers and exporters for over 50 years.
The acquisition strengthens GSC’s service offerings in the Pacific Northwest market by adding five warehouse facilities encompassing over 380,000 sq. ft with 80 railcar spots and more than 100 dock doors. The combined MacMillan-Piper and GSC Transport fleet will now exceed 100 trucks. Additionally, the acquisition creates a new network of terminals, yards and chassis strategically located within two miles of both the Seattle and Tacoma ports for GSC.
Read more here.
Construction on the Terminal 5 Quiet Zone will be starting Monday, July 31st. As a reminder, the project includes closing some driveways near Terminal 5 so that trains don't need to use their horns as frequently, building new traffic signals to improve traffic flow, and upgrading safety equipment at railroad crossings, including adding crossing gates and fencing. This project is a joint effort between The Northwest Seaport Alliance, Port of Seattle, Seattle Department of Transportation and BNSF.
Please see the project website for more details here.
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