Giant ship’s Port of Tacoma visit sets record in size and launches new era in green fuel
A massive shipping vessel that made a recent call to the Port of Tacoma made history at the site both in size and alternative fuel capability.
The Maersk Alette arrived at Tacoma’s Husky Terminal Sept. 4, the largest vessel ever to call at The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s South Harbor. The ship departed Friday (Sept. 6), according to the NWSA.
The ship also was the first dual-fuel vessel capable of sailing on green methanol to arrive at the port, according to a release issued this week by the NWSA, an operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
The ship has a capacity of 16,592 TEUs, (20-foot Equivalent Unit).
Compare that with the YM Triumph, with “nominal capacity of 12,690 TEUs,” according to the port. It arrived in 2020 as the largest at that time to ever call on Husky Terminal.
“We offer our congratulations to Maersk, Nike, the Ulsan Port Authority, and all our industry partners who are leading toward cleaner fuel alternatives,” said Kristin Ang, Port of Tacoma Commission President and Co-Chair of The Northwest Seaport Alliance, in Tuesday’s release.
Maersk has partnered with Nike in the production of clean-fuel ships.
“This vessel represents a tangible demonstration of the progress being made in developing and deploying sustainable shipping technologies,” Ang added.
Hamdi Mohamed, Port of Seattle Commission president and NWSA co-chair, said Alette’s visit showed “our gateway’s capacity and world-class infrastructure to handle the largest vessels in the transpacific trade.”
Husky Terminal, which received an overhaul in 2018 to better accommodate ultra-large container vessels, is set to receive terminal efficiency upgrades via a federal grant announced last fall.
Online tracking of the Maersk ship as of Wednesday listed the vessel on its way to Yokohama, Japan, expected to arrive Sept. 17.
Before arriving in Tacoma, in late August the newly built ship was named and christened at the Port of Los Angeles as part of its maiden voyage.
