SEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: Car carrier at Terminal 46

(Northwest Seaport Alliance photo)

Last week, a reader asked about a sighting of two car-carrier ships in Elliott Bay. At the time, we only found one via the MarineTraffic.com tracker – Platinum Ray, still anchored in the bay today, but shown as eventually bound for Tacoma, where such cargo is routinely handled. Then today the Northwest Seaport Alliance explained the other one:

Terminal 46 marked a significant milestone on Friday, February 2nd, as it welcomed the arrival of the GLOVIS vessel Silver Sky transporting automobiles destined for Canada.

More than 2,500 automobiles discharged at Terminal 46, in The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway, where they will await transport to Canadian KIA and Hyundai dealerships later this month.

Terminal 46 is on the downtown waterfront. The NWSA announcement refers to this as “the first automobile vessel in more than 20 years to call the North Harbor [Seattle],” but our archives note that one unloaded at West Seattle’s Terminal 5 in 2015. (Update: NWSA has updated to say it was the first such call at T-46 in 20+ years.) As for whether more such deliveries are ahead, the NWSA says it “hopes (Terminal 46) will be utilized to support additional cargo movement in the coming months.”

abovealki February 5, 2024 (11:36 am)

That’s going to take a really large number of car-transport-truck trips to get them all to Canada. Any explanation as to why they were unloaded here rather in Vancouver BC?

my two cents February 5, 2024 (12:16 pm)

they will be transport to Canada via rail

Bill February 5, 2024 (1:35 pm)

Thanks WSB! I saw the vehicle carrier, then the sea of cars parked at the port yesterday while biking home from downtown. I’d never seen that in Seattle and wondered if it was new for the port.

Adam February 5, 2024 (2:22 pm)

I heard the original shipping containers also held crates full of USB chargers, but once they got near Seattle they had to be kept separate from the Hyundais and Kias.

waikikigirl February 5, 2024 (2:48 pm)

Hey thats how I got my new car from the UK in 2019! It’s exciting watching the ship make its journey to its final destination. Also you can’t imagine all the boats that the tracking system shows out in the water. 😀

Lola February 5, 2024 (3:32 pm)

WAIKIKIGIRL, yes my son used to be in the Merchant Marines. I used to watch his boat come in all the time as he loved the Alaska route so he left Tacoma came out by Alki then went up to Ak. Same route back. We even know a Pilot who Tends the boats from about Port Angeles back to Tacoma. He would sometime be on my son’s boat and call him to the wheel house when he would get on board to pilot the ship back to Tacoma. There are a lot of Ships out there.

1994 February 5, 2024 (10:24 pm)

Good thing the Kia & Hyundai’s are heading to Canada. Better get them moved quick before the Tik tok thieves hear about this deposit of 2500 of their favorite cars. Or have super good security people on high alert 24/7.

bolo February 5, 2024 (11:19 pm)

Wait……. There’s TikTok tutorial videos showing how to steal the 2024 models already?
- 22blades February 6, 2024 (7:56 am)
  
  Beat me to it…😜

ScottAmick February 26, 2024 (10:33 am)

I’m watching what I believe are the cars off loaded in early February being loaded onto the RCC Compass right now. I see Terminal 46 almost daily and saw several loads of cars on truck trailers (9 at a time) leave a week or so ago but this looks like a bigger effort.

Sorry, comment time is over.