Cruise Season Off to a Strong Start
The first ships of the 2008 Seattle to Alaska cruise season are sailing into the Emerald City bringing boat and plane loads of tourists and shoppers. Approximately 211 vessels and more than 800,000 passengers will visit this year. And according to estimates, that means 2,087 jobs, $268 million in annual business revenue and $6.7 million in annual state & local taxes. It's not too late to book your dream trip.

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Commission Approves Recycling Program
Port of Seattle 's Commission has approved the design of a new program for handling recyclables off aircraft at Sea- Tac Airport , reducing landfill waste and potentially saving more than $250,000 each year.

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Something in the Air?
Working with the Puget Sound Maritime Air Forum, the Port of Seattle led a project to complete the 2007 Maritime Air Emissions Inventory - the most extensive study of its type ever completed in the U.S. – to identify the nature and sources of maritime-related air emissions from the U.S.-Canadian border to south Puget Sound. As a direct result, the Port is now participating in a landmark joint strategy, the “Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy,” with the Port of Tacoma and the Vancouver Frasier Port Authority to reduce emissions of diesel particulate and green house gases. The strategy establishes short- and long-term measures to reduce emissions from trucks, cargo-handling equipment, rail, harbor craft and ocean-going vessels.

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Virgin America Inaugurates
Seattle-Los Angeles Service
Virgin America recently began non-stop flights to San Francisco and has added non-stop service to Los Angeles International Airport. It offers three daily nonstops to L.A.; a fourth flight will be added on May 11.

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Seattle to China: Northwest Begins Beijing Flights Next Year
In March 2009, Northwest Airlines will become the second airline to offer non-stop service between Seattle and Beijing and the first to offer daily flights. Hainan Airlines begins Seattle-Beijing service on June 9 this year with four weekly flights.

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China Shipping Moves to T30
China Shipping Lines is expanding its operations and will move across the Duwamish Waterway from Terminal 18 to Terminal 30, which is now being reconfigured for container handling. At Terminal 30 they can increase volume and offer greater capacity and proximity to rail yards while keeping environmental impact low. China Shipping Terminals (USA) will be an equity partner with SSA Terminals (Seattle) which will lease and operate the renovated container terminal. The Port of Seattle is investing $120 million in creating a state-of-the-art container facility at Terminal 30 and relocating cruise facilities to Terminal 91. China Shipping began calling at the Port in 1999, with volumes exceeding 97,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) into Seattle annually.

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Seaport Maintenance Goes Electric
The Seaport Maintenance Department recently took delivery of its first all-electric vehicle. As part of the Port's green initiatives, reducing emissions from fleet vehicles is a high priority. The new electric vehicle is an EV2 model made by E-Ride. It runs on electricity from Seattle City Light, which generates power from renewable resources or purchases offsets to make it climate-neutral.

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Follow Port Commission Actions Online
Audio recordings and live streaming video of Commission meetings are available on the Port’s Web site, along with news releases of key actions and agendas for upcoming meetings. You can watch recorded Commission meetings Sundays at 1 p.m. on King County TV (Digital Cable 22).

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