12:14 PM: The Port of Seattle says the long-idle Matson cargo ship Lurline will soon be at West Seattle’s Terminal 5 – as one of its last stops. The 1973-built, 826-foot roll-on-roll-off vessel has been laid up for years, currently at Terminal 25, and now it’s set to be scrapped. But first, port spokesperson Peter McGraw tells WSB, it’ll be towed to T-5 today. The Lurline will remain at T-5 several weeks, McGraw says, before it’s towed away to “a scrap yard in the Gulf.” We’ll update later when the ship shows up here.

1:20 PM: The Lurline has just arrived at T-5. Photo added above.

Last Thursday, we published the Northwest Seaport Alliance (ports of Seattle and Tacoma) announcement of a special meeting to authorize pursuit of an interim proposal for West Seattle’s Terminal 5 – serving as the berth for the Military Sealift Command‘s USNS Bob Hope. The meeting was held first thing Monday morning; we weren’t able to cover it in person but have just listened to the audio on the NWSA website. The meeting lasted less than half an hour, and no one from the public showed up to comment; when a question about public reaction came up, most of what was mentioned had to do with the comments on the WSB story. One commissioner wondered about security for the 950-foot-long Bob Hope; a staffer said the basic T-5 security plan “wouldn’t be affected that much,” though there would be a “restricted area” around the ship itself. After the discussion, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve having the NWSA join Foss Maritime in offering a proposal to get the ship here. The memo accompanying the Monday agenda this contract could bring the NWSA a little over half a million dollars a year. It would also extend Foss’s use of T-5, otherwise set to expire in early February.

(UPDATED to reflect that the meeting day, December 19th, is next Monday)

That’s a file photo of the USNS Bob Hope – a Military Sealift Command ship that might be berthed next year at West Seattle’s Terminal 5. Northwest Seaport Alliance (the joint Seattle-Tacoma ports’ organization) spokesperson Tara Mattina tells WSB that a special public meeting is set for next (updated) Monday (December 19th) to discuss a plan for the NWSA to join Foss Maritime in seeking a contract for the ship to be berthed at T-5. This would require Foss to have a deal with the port beyond the February expiration of its the one it has now. First, some background, from Mattina:

The USNS Bob Hope is the first ship in the Navy’s first class of large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships (LMSR), and is part of the United States Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC). The primary mission of these ships is to transport shore-based equipment and supplies in support of military and humanitarian operations.

This past summer the Bob Hope participated in the Cascadia Rising earthquake recovery exercise. These ships are a key asset in recovery efforts in the event of a widespread natural disaster.

The ships are operated by 30 civilian mariners who work for a private company under contract to MSC and up to 50 embarked military personnel who monitor and maintain the equipment being transported. The ships are maintained in reduced operational status, which means they are operationally ready in four days.

Should Foss and the NWSA be successful in winning this bid, the ship would berth at Terminal 5. The Navy plans to run the ship on shore power while at berth.

This type of interim use for Terminal 5 is part of the alliance’s strategic business plan to diversify cargo and maximize terminal use. It will in no way interfere with the modernization of the terminal and the goal of creating a first-class container terminal.

Lots of additional information is in this memo attached to the agenda for next (updated) Monday’s meeting. It says that the branch of General Dynamics that operates the Bob Hope and similar ships is seeking “berth space, facilities, services, equipment and support in order to maintain USNS Bob Hope in ready-reserve status for a base term of one year.” That year would be the entirety of 2017, with the possibility of extending the contract “up to four additional 1-year terms.” The document also says “The RFP provides for other vessels to moor during times when USNS Bob Hope is away from berth” and that this could bring in at least $300,000 a year. It also notes that Foss’s lease for T-5 ends in February, so the NWSA would have to make a new deal with Foss in order for that company to handle this. (The Bob Hope is currently in San Diego.)

If you have something to say about this, there’s a public-comment period during the meeting at 8:30 am next (updated) Monday at Pier 69 downtown (2711 Alaskan Way), or you can e-mail comments@nwseaportalliance.com.

P.S. The tanker Evergreen State is the ship you’re currently seeing at T-5. We asked port spokesperson Peter McGraw about it after a Seattle Fire medical call to T-5 earlier this week. He explains, “Foss still has a 50-acre lease at T-5; they received a call over the weekend that the Evergreen State needed a berth to undertake some repair work to the piping. The vessel will be at T-5 until the work is complete. Although a tanker, its voids are dry and empty.”

3:24 PM: The Hanjin Scarlet is being offloaded at Prince Rupert. That’s news here because it was the next Hanjin ship scheduled to dock at Seattle’s Terminal 46, until its parent company filed for receivership in South Korea. Instead of docking at the British Columbia port, Hanjin Scarlet remained anchored in its harbor – until today. It docked at 6 am, according to an update from the Prince Rupert Port Authority. It had been scheduled to offload there in time to arrive here last Saturday. We’re checking with the Northwest Seaport Alliance – the combined Seattle/Tacoma port entity – to see what they’ve heard about a possible arrival here.

5:54 PM: NWSA spokesperson Tara Mattina says they have no new information yet on whether Hanjin Scarlet will head here from Prince Rupert, but hope to find out something tomorrow. Also tomorrow: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch meeting (11:30 am, Jack Block Park) looks at “the state of the port,” with commissioner John Creighton and deputy CEO Kurt Beckett scheduled to speak.

(July aerial of West Seattle with Terminal 5 at left, shared by David)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The news of shipping line Hanjin, a major Port of Seattle customer, filing for the equivalent of bankruptcy in its home country, South Korea, has sparked renewed discussion about the nine-digit-price-tag plan to modernize West Seattle’s Terminal 5.

Is the project really necessary, amid the turmoil in the shipping industry, with the port operating without T-5 for more than two years now? We put that question to the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the entity formed a year ago by the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma.

First, the latest on how Hanjin’s receivership filing on Wednesday is affecting the Port of Seattle: Read More

(SDOT webcam screenshot from June 2016 backup)

The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma are going to try something new starting next week in hopes of lessening truck backups as drivers wait to get into cargo terminals. From the announcement:

The Northwest Seaport Alliance will reimburse up to $2 million to extend gate hours at its international container terminals during peak season.

With cargo owners forecasting a 3 to 5 percent increase in volume during peak season, which will start in late August and continue through early November, the alliance proposes to help the marine terminal operators avoid congestion on surface streets in the port industrial area and keep import and export cargo flowing efficiently.

This program will reimburse terminal operators for some of the costs to operate flexed gates from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and lunch gate hours Monday through Friday during peak season.

It also would provide one off-shift gate per week. Off-shift gates are after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or any shift on Saturday or Sunday.

This is set to start on Monday (August 22nd), according to the full announcement, which you can see here.

Along with the ongoing environmental review of the big proposal to “modernize” the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 in West Seattle, a parallel process is under way for possible deepening of the water nearby. One week from tonight, a public meeting is planned for information and comments about the tentative plan announced recently by the port. From the official announcement:

The Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Seattle have agreed on a tentatively selected plan of -57’ Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) for both the East and West Waterways. This depth will allow the Port of Seattle, part of The Northwest Seaport Alliance, to handle the current and future generations of ultra-large containerships. Comments on the Draft Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment may be submitted by email, at the upcoming public meeting, or in written form.

Details of the plan are here; the meeting is at 5:30 pm Thursday, August 18th, at South Seattle College‘s Georgetown campus (6737 Corson Ave. S.) If you want to comment by e-mail – the address is SeattleHarbor@usace.army.mil and the deadline is August 31st.

(Photos courtesy Foss. Above, Aiviq departing this morning)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

More than a year after the first Shell support vessels arrived at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 in West Seattle, the last of them have departed – headed for the Arctic, but not to drill.

We just confirmed this with Foss Maritime, which leased space at T-5 in February 2015, a half-year before Shell’s decision to abandon its Arctic-offshore-drilling plans.

While the protester-targeted drilling platform Polar Pioneer (which left T-5 almost exactly a year ago) did not return to T-5 after its Arctic efforts were stopped, assorted support vessels did, including the three that left today.

Our inquiry followed a tip from Jon in Luna Park, who reported seeing the three vessels – Aiviq, Dino Chouest, and Ross Chouest, heading out this morning.

(Dino Chouest departing this morning, with Ross Chouest at left)

Paul Gallagher of Foss Maritime, terminal manager for T-5, just confirmed the departures:

The three remaining Edison Chouest Offshore support vessels departed Terminal 5 this morning bound for the Arctic.

Over the past few months, the T5 team has been working closely with Edison Chouest and Fairweather LLC to prepare the vessels for the summer season and their mission to retrieve all of the mooring gear left on the seafloor by the Shell exploration rigs.

It is worth noting that the T5 team and associated partners (Jones Stevedoring, ILWU, Global Diving, Ness Cranes, Waste Management, USSA Security, etc.) had no recordable or lost time injuries during the project since we began in February 2015. I truly appreciate all the hard work and attention to safety which was evident in our day to day operations and engagement with our subcontractors and customers.

We are still looking for other business opportunities for the Terminal 5 facilities, but we do not have anything firmed up or contracted.

Under lease terms made public by the Port in February 2015, Foss’s lease is for $550,000 a month.

Separate from the interim Foss lease, Terminal 5 is proposed for a quarter-billion-dollar project to expand its capacity, and the comment period for that project continues until July 8th.

(Port of Seattle image with proposed project’s toplines)

They asked for it … they got it. As we reported in our coverage of both public hearings this week on the Terminal 5 Improvements Project, community members asked for an extension of the comment period; last night, Port of Seattle reps promised a decision by “early next week.” They’ve just announced the decision is in and the new deadline for comments is 5 pm July 8th. Go to the “online open house” to see how to comment.

WSB coverage of this week’s hearings:
–Thursday in West Seattle
–Tuesday in Georgetown

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

You have 12 more days to comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Terminal 5 Improvements Project in West Seattle – unless the comment period is extended.

(Friday afternoon update: It has been.)

Both hearings for this stage of the process are now history, after tonight’s hearing, which was in West Seattle, at the Alki Masonic Center in The Junction. As we’d been told Tuesday in Georgetown (WSB coverage here), the format was exactly the same, though there were some divergences along the way.

Again tonight, Commissioner Fred Felleman opened, this time making a point to say “we don’t have a tenant yet” but promising they will “do it right” no matter what they wind up doing.

Paul Meyer, the port’s environmental manager, gave the presentation instead of deputy CEO Kurt Beckett, who was reported to have undergone “emergency dental surgery” earlier in the day, but did arrive around 6:15 pm. First, Commissioner Felleman said he wanted to be sure everyone understood that the Northwest Seaport Alliance jointly manages the Seattle and Tacoma container terminals, but not everything associated with both ports.

Read More

1:36 PM: Five hours ago, we got a tip that port trucks were backed up in a big way on East Marginal Way, north of Spokane. It’s apparently continued since then – but, per the scanner, the trucks are now dispersing, about 15 minutes after we took the screengrab you see above. They have reportedly been waiting to get into Terminal 46 off Alaskan Way, but, also per scanner discussion, police are saying that terminal is now closed for the day. We have an inquiry out to the port in hopes of finding out more. Truck traffic is of particular interest right now as one of the issues factoring into the environmental review of the Terminal 5 big-ship-readiness project, which has another hearing 5-8:30 pm tonight in The Junction (as previewed earlier).

2:35 PM: Haven’t heard back from the port yet but we’ve just heard police via scanner say that 46 is “open again.”

6:48 PM: Port spokesperson Susan Stoltzfus talked with us briefly at the T-5 hearing, saying all they could figure is that the trucks were “over-dispatched.”

(February 29th view of CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin in Seattle; photo courtesy Deb)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

For all the noise-making over the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin‘s Port of Seattle visit three months ago, it seemed barely a whisper was heard when news emerged three weeks ago that the largest cargo ship to visit the U.S. won’t make cross-Pacific runs after all.

But, Northwest Seaport Alliance deputy CEO Kurt Beckett told the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s May meeting, expanding the capacity of Terminal 5 in West Seattle is still a must.

Beckett’s visit to the WSTC last Thursday night was supposed to be related to the T-5 project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement, published by the port for public comment. The official deadline for that is June 21st, with two public meetings next week. But the discussion sailed beyond project specifics – which Beckett said he couldn’t discuss much anyway during the comment period – and into the waters of how “fluid” the seaport business is right now.

Read More

(January 2015 photo of Terminal 5 by Long Bach Nguyen)
Two years ago, the Port of Seattle took a major step in its plan to “modernize” West Seattle’s Terminal 5, weeks before shutting it down as a cargo terminal. And now, it’s time for the next step: The draft Environmental Impact Statement is ready for your review and comments. This is the report that wouldn’t have happened without a group of T-5 neighbors pushing for it; at first, the port didn’t think an EIS would be needed, but the neighbors begged to differ, and launched a petition drive. The port subsequently announced last fall that discussions with potential tenants revealed the scope of operations would require an EIS after all – and now, a one-month comment period has opened, as previewed at recent community meetings we covered. Here’s the port’s official announcement:

The Port of Seattle and the Northwest Seaport Alliance are proposing modifications to marine cargo facilities at Terminal 5.

The Port of Seattle, as lead agency under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA), is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the project, which includes berth deepening, dock strengthening, and power upgrades to handle larger cranes.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) is a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma governed jointly by the commissions of the two ports.

“The Northwest Seaport Alliance needs to make Terminal 5 ‘Big Ship Ready’ to remain competitive in today’s global economy,” said NWSA co-chair and Port of Tacoma Commission President Connie Bacon.

“Modernizing Terminal 5 will allow us to keep good paying middle class jobs in our region. We encourage the public to weigh in over the next 30 days with their comments about the proposed improvements—either online at your convenience or by attending one of our public hearings,” said NWSA co-chair and Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton.

The environmental review will evaluate potential impacts to earth, air, water, plants, animals, energy and natural resources, environmental health, noise, aesthetics (including light and glare), historic and cultural resources, transportation and public services.

Public comments on the Draft EIS will be accepted from May 23 to June 21, will be included in the SEPA record and may result in corrections, additions or clarification to the Draft EIS.

For tips on commenting, visit the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Citizen’s Guide to SEPA Review and Commenting.

The Draft EIS is available online at three locations:

portseattle.org/Environmental/Environmental-Documents/SEPA-NEPA/Pages/default.aspx

t5eis.publicmeeting.info

nwseaportalliance.com/about/strategic-plan/t5.

Printed copies of the DEIS will be available at the Seattle Central Library, Delridge Library, South Park Branch Library and the West Seattle Library.

Printed copies also will be available at Port of Seattle offices, 2711 Alaskan Way, Seattle, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday – Friday, through June 21.

If you would like to receive a copy of the DEIS please contact Brenda Thomas at 206-787-3382, or email: SEPA.p@portseattle.org.

For more information on the proposed improvements and to comment online, visit t5eis.publicmeeting.info.

Comments can also be emailed to: SEPA.p@portseattle.org – please include your mailing address for a response. The other primary ways to comment are listed below:

The Port of Seattle is also hosting two public hearings for people to share comments on the Draft EIS:

Tuesday, June 7
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Georgetown Campus, South Seattle College
6737 Corson Ave. So.

Thursday, June 9
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Alki Masonic Center
4736 40th Ave. SW

If you need the assistance of an interpreter at one of the public hearing events, or want to receive a response to a question in your native language, please call the port’s language help line:

Para español, llame al (206) 787-3797 y marque 1.

Để sử dụng tiếng Việt, gọi số (206) 787-3797 và nhấn phím 2

Soomaali, wac (206) 787-3797, kadib riix 3.

សម្រាប់ភាសាខ្មែរ សូមហៅទូរសព្ទមកលេខ (206) 787-3797 ហើយចុចលេខ 4។

For other languages, call (206) 787-3797 and press 5.

We’ll be reading the draft EIS tonight; followups to come.

(WSB photo of Terminal 5 from March)

Our first report from last night’s Southwest District Council meeting:

DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR TERMINAL 5: Paul Meyer of the Port of Seattle provided a quick update (as he had at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council last month). First, a recap of how they got to the point where they decided – as community members had urged – to prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed “modernization” project at Terminal 5 in east West Seattle. Then, a quick status report: “We’re almost there,” said Meyer. “We’re about to publish it.”

This time, he had dates: He said they think the publication date will be May 23rd, but it’s not completely locked in yet. Two meetings are scheduled for comments – June 7th at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and June 9th at the Alki Masonic Center in West Seattle. Meyer said they’re expecting a 30-day comment period which would close June 21st if they publish on May 23rd. But – “they’re still writing” the document, he warned, so the dates MIGHT change.

NEXT REPORT: The bulk of last night’s SWDC meeting focused on community proposals for a share of the city’s Neighborhood Street Fund; the council has to decide which proposals to approve for sending forward in the process.

The “rapid-load” pile test scheduled at Terminal 5 this afternoon has been rescheduled to tomorrow (Tuesday, March 15th), according to Port of Seattle spokesperson Peter McGraw:

In response to concerns we’ve heard, we are postponing today’s test.

One of the reasons for the last test being more noticeable may have been its location at the south end of Terminal 5. When we reschedule, it will use less fuel than the last test, with the amount of fuel being the same as what was used in previous tests. We will also use noise and vibration monitoring devices in the vicinity of 37th & Prescott.

The tests will take place tomorrow and Thursday, both at noon. These will be the last of the rapid load tests.

A video made public by the port last week shows, close-up, what these tests look and sound like.