Cranes transferred from Seattle to Tacoma as part of company’s shipping consolidation
More shipping cranes were set to arrive at the Port of Tacoma this week, this time in a consolidation move from Seattle.
In 2018 and 2019, container cranes were delivered to the Port of Tacoma’s Husky Terminal (Pier 4) to allow for serving two, 18,000 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) vessels.
This latest delivery involves the transfer of three existing container cranes in a consolidation of operations for shipping company Matson, including its service to Alaska and Hawaii.
The cranes to be delivered this week previously operated at Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5. Two of the cranes were to arrive this week to their new home at Tacoma’s West Sitcum Terminal; the third is set to arrive next week.
SSA Terminals operates both Terminal 5 and West Sitcum and is coordinating the crane move.
The remaining three cranes at the Seattle terminal will be dismantled and removed, with new, larger cranes coming to that site next year.
Terminal 5 is at the center of a more than $300 million modernization to accommodate larger vessels used in the shipping industry.
The Matson move was recently announced by the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the joint operating partnership for Seattle and Tacoma.
“By combining their operations from two terminals into one, Matson can see further cost savings, improving their bottom line during these tough economic conditions,” the NWSA said in its announcement.
The NWSA added that the move will “ensure that their cargo will remain in our gateway, and continue to provide family-wage jobs across our region.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 6:06 PM.
