The Terminal 5 Modernization Project will expand gateway cargo capacity and enable The Northwest Seaport Alliance to service the largest vessels in the Transpacific trade.

SSA Marine and the Northwest Seaport Alliance welcomed four ZPMC Super-Post Panamax Cranes to the Seattle Harbor marking a significant milestone in the Terminal 5 Modernization Project.

Four ZPMC Super-Post Panamax Cranes on their journey through the Puget Sound to Elliott Bay
Four ZPMC Super-Post Panamax Cranes on their journey through the Puget Sound to Elliott Bay

After spending several weeks traveling from Shanghai to the Pacific Northwest, the cranes concluded their journey through the Puget Sound to Elliott Bay on Sunday, June 13th.  SSA Terminals is the owner and future operator of the cranes, which will be among the largest cranes on the West Coast.  Standing 316 feet tall with a 240-foot outreach boom, each crane can lift 100 tons of cargo providing increased capacity and job opportunities for our region.

“Farmers, manufacturers, and other exporters from Washington state to the Midwest depend on the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma to quickly move their products to buyers in Asia and beyond,” stated Senator Maria Cantwell. “Expanding capacity at Seattle’s Terminal 5 to handle the largest, newest cargo ships is critical to keeping our ports competitive in the global economy.”

"The maritime industry is part of Seattle’s DNA and home to great workers like ILWU Local 19. The new cranes at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5 are key to our economic recovery and will bring a boost to our local economy, speed up shipping for businesses that are reopening, and provide additional family wage jobs to folks who are returning to work,” said City of Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan.  “Thank you to the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Port of Seattle, and our legislators for your continued work in moving our economy forward."

“We believe The Northwest Seaport Alliance and Terminal 5, have a very strong future ahead. The purchase of these new cranes underscores our commitment to the market and our customers. We know larger ships carrying increased volumes are coming. We want to be out in front of that curve and are preparing our terminal to service our customers’ needs,” stated Ed DeNike, President of SSA Terminals.

“The arrival of the T-5 cranes into Elliot Bay demonstrates our collaborative commitment to invest in the critical infrastructure needed to secure the future of living wage maritime jobs in Seattle,” stated Port of Seattle Commission President and NWSA Co-Chair, Fred Felleman. “Reopening T-5 will not only enable us to reduce the truck traffic congestion serving T-18, but with the new cranes able to serve larger vessels, more cargo can be moved on fewer ships.  Furthermore, air, noise and climate impacts will be reduced by enabling ships to use shore power rather than running their generators while at berth - benefitting our killer whales and communities alike.”

“Our investment in Terminal 5 ensures that our gateway remains competitive for the next 30 years and beyond,” said Port of Tacoma Commission President and NWSA Co-Chair Dick Marzano. “By adding additional deep-water terminal space, we can serve the largest vessels in the industry and increase cargo volumes that benefit our local, state, and regional economy.”

The new Terminal 5 cranes will begin moving cargo at the beginning of 2022, when phase one of the two-phase construction project is complete. At full completion, Terminal 5 will boast 185-acres of additional capacity and on-dock rail to handle discretionary cargo and shorepower, which are essential to the sustainable growth of the NWSA gateway. Beyond import cargo, Terminal 5 will increase opportunities for exporters from the mid-west and eastern Washington to move their goods to market.