Port of Seattle to reopen Terminal 30 to containerships

Port of Seattle to reopen Terminal 30 to containerships    The Port of Seattle Commission Tuesday authorized the start of preliminary work to reconfigure Terminal 30 to container use.
   The terminal, located between East Marginal Way South and the East Duwamish Waterway, has been used as a cruise ship facility since May 2004 after containerships stopped using it June 2002.
   In 2005, the Port of Seattle handled 2.08 million TEUs, an increase of 18 percent compared to 2004.
   “Returning Terminal 30 to use as a container facility and moving cruise ships to Terminal 91 helps us maximize the use of our facilities and accommodate rapid growth in the container business,” said Patricia Davis, president of the Port of Seattle Commission.
   The preliminary cost estimate of the entire project is $90 million to $120 million with cargo ships expected to be able to start using the terminal from 2008. A renovated Terminal 30, when combined with container facilities at terminals 25 and 28, would contain 70 acres for handling cargo and two vessel berths. Terminal 25 reopened in 2005 for the cargo operations of Matson.