Pacific Maritime Association

The Space Needle behind operations at SSA Terminals at the Port of Seattle. 2018 | The Year in Review Port of Tacoma Celebrates 100 Years On November 5, 1918, voters in Pierce County, Washington approved the creation of a public port. 100 years later, the Port of Tacoma has proven itself to be one of the most significant in North America and a crucial driver of economic success in the region. Today, the Port of Tacoma reports that it supports more than 29,000 jobs and nearly $3 billion in economic activity. The port marked its centennial with a 100-day celebration that began in July and ran through early November. Activities ranged from free port boat tours to an interactive display of the port's history. Evergreen's Thalassa Axia in Tacoma On November 1, the Port of Tacoma welcomed the largest vessel to ever visit the port. Evergreen's 13,800 TEU Thalassa Axia took a spin in the turning basin at the end of the Blair Waterway before docking at the Pierce County Terminal. The 1,200-foot-long vessel departed early on the morning of November 3 for Asia. Investment in Tacoma In February 2018, Husky Terminal Operations at the Port of Tacoma received four new 295-foot super-post- Panamax cranes capable of serving two 18,000-TEU container ships. The cranes, now operational, will soon be joined by four additional sister cranes set to arrive at the port in 2019. Larger Workforce Seattle has bolstered its workforce. In 2018, Seattle welcomed 240 new casuals and 135 new Class B registrants, with plans to add another 540 casuals in 2019. Annual shifts in Seattle increased by more than 16 percent in 2018, from 192,486 to 223,776. Seattle's Cruise Business Boom The cruise business is booming in Seattle. For the second consecutive year, the Port of Seattle welcomed over one million cruise passengers through the port, and cruise passengers increased by four percent from the prior year. A variety of major cruise lines sailed from the port, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Carnival Cruise Line. The most popular destination was Alaska, with some vessels from Hawaii and Canada docking at the port as well. ILWU workers are responsible for all shoreside work once the cruise ships are docked, including loading and unloading passenger bags, loading ships with food and beverages, and securing the vessels to the docks. Norwegian Cruise Line was the first cruise line to homeport at the Port of Seattle more than 18 years ago. The company made history again in 2018 when the largest passenger ship to ever sail the West Coast – the Norwegian Bliss – called Seattle home for the summer. The recently renovated ship will dock at Terminal 66 again in the summer of 2019. 29 p a c i f i c M a r i t i M e a s s o c i a t i o n

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