Freightwaves: Asia ocean line in $135M expansion of US box terminal

Published by freightwaves 

A West Coast port is upping its container game with a major equipment upgrade.

The Port of Tacoma’s Washington United Terminals has signed a contract with HD Hyundai Samho of South Korea for four new cranes.

Opened in 1999, WUT is operated by HMM (formerly Hyundai Merchant Marine) (011200.KS) of Seoul, the world’s eighth-largest liner operator. HMM and Samho. are separate companies in different corporate groups.

“Equipped with an on-dock rail system for handling rail cars, the terminal offers excellent inland logistics connectivity, creating strong synergies with our U.S. West Coast routes,” the carrier said in an announcement.

Under the contract, WUT will replace two aging quay cranes and add two new yard cranes. The upgrade will enable the terminal to handle large containerships and increase annual capacity from 590,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 880,000 TEUs, significantly strengthening its competitiveness.

WUT does not publicly disclose annual terminal throughput. Delivery is scheduled for 2028.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance in a release reported by local media  said the overall WUT investment is $135 million, with full project completion anticipated in 2030.