Seen off West Seattle: Headed home

Thanks to Jim Borrow for the photo. That’s the Zhen Hua 31 headed north in Puget Sound on Saturday evening. You might not recognize it without the high-profile cargo – it was last seen passing West Seattle (twice!) a week and a half ago, carrying four huge cranes bound for the Port of Tacoma. They were unloaded this past week and now the heavy-lift ship is headed back to China – in the Strait of Juan de Fuca headed for the open Pacific as we get ready to publish this early Sunday.

9 Replies to "Seen off West Seattle: Headed home"

  • Scott Boggs March 17, 2019 (8:13 am)

    Shame on us. Overseas countries does it again. Lost jobs and revenue. Giving money a way. The same goes for the Seattle Metro Busses. We are lucky Boeing is here. We would be giving thoughs jobs away also.         Terrible for allowing this to happen. 

    • WSB March 17, 2019 (10:37 am)

      I suspect you are aware of this but lest anyone reading this is not – no one in the US is building port cranes. So it’s either buy them from overseas – or don’t buy them at all. – TR

    • Swede. March 17, 2019 (11:04 am)

      And granted Metros main supplier of buses, New Flier Industries., are Canadian but just like the cranes, no US company makes 60′ articulated buses. 

    • Guy Olson March 17, 2019 (1:08 pm)

      Those Boeing 787 Max airplanes are a killer product!

    • Some Facts March 17, 2019 (1:22 pm)

      Strange response, Scott.


      1. More jobs and revenue will come here because of these cranes.  If these cranes weren’t here, we wouldn’t have the freight or the port jobs.  Without question, these cranes facilitate more money and jobs then they cost themselves.  Overall, we’re a state that moves goods.  With that, we get paid and we create more jobs.2. Boeing is HQ’d in Chicago now, and the 787 is from all over the world.  3. Metro uses buses from many companies.  Gillig and Proterra are both based in California.  New Flyer, while Canadian by ownership, manufactures all of KCM’s (and most all American)  buses in Minnesota and Alabama.Hope this makes you feel better at least about these cranes and the economy here.

      • Jim March 17, 2019 (3:46 pm)

        Don’t get your feathers all ruffled.  He was just wishing we would Buy American.  Probably didn’t know overseas was the only option for the cranes.

        • Gene March 17, 2019 (5:04 pm)

          No ruffling-just informing- Scott had his say-others have theirs. I for one did not know that no one in US is building Port cranes. So that was new info for me-hopefully for others who didn’t know. Thanks to WSB, SWEDE, & SOME FACTS , for -THE FACTS.

          • AJ March 17, 2019 (5:44 pm)

            Same here, Gene. Thank you to WSB, Swede, and Some Facts for the information. 

        • Jon Wright March 18, 2019 (1:18 am)

          I’m sure we could all do better job of not shooting first and then getting the facts.

Sorry, comment time is over.