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Q. Where can I find information about ship arrivals and departures?
A. Visit our Ship Schedule page for arrival information. Please contact the Marine Exchange of Puget Sound at (206) 443-3830 for detailed vessel activity in our Harbor.
Q. Why are the Port's container cranes painted orange?
A. The paint on the cranes is highly specialized to withstand salt air, wind, rain, sun and exposure to petroleum products and by-products (e.g., greases, oils, ship smoke). The Port chose the highly visible orange from among few other colors available in this special paint, which lasts about 20 years. Painting cranes is expensive, and we paint about one crane each year to keep on the 20-year cycle. To maintain consistency, minimize cost and add brightness to our harbor, we keep the color orange.
Q. Which steamship lines call in Seattle?
A. View our Steamship Line listing.
Q. What kinds of vessels do you track?
A. The Port of Seattle tracks container, bulk and breakbulk vessels that call at our facilities. We do not track fishing vessels or the boats that dock at our marinas.
Q. Where can I repair my ship in Seattle?
A. Please visit the Marine Exchange of Puget Sound Web site for a listing of shipyards in Seattle.
Q. Can I travel on a container ship?
A. Please contact the individual steamship lines for this information. View our Steamship Line listing.
Q. How many crew members are on a container vessel?
A. Generally 13-25 crew members.
Q. Where can I obtain Seaport cargo statistics?
A. Please visit our Seaport Statistics page
Q. What kinds of cargo does the Port of Seattle handle?
A. Cargo can be classified into two main categories:
Q. What is container cargo?
A. Anything the shipper can put in a sea-going container. The containers are 8 feet wide, by 8 or more feet high, by 20 or more feet long. Toys, clothing, electronic goods, frozen french fries, fresh apples, motorcycles are among the commodities shipped in containers.
Q. Then what is non-container cargo?
A. Anything not loaded into a container, either because it is too large or because the shipper wants to handle it differently. Boxes of apples that go directly into the cargo hold, steel beams, large machinery and railroad engines are examples of non-container cargo that have crossed the Port's docks. Dry bulk and liquid bulk are also non-container cargo.
Q. Where can I find more information?
A. Read the Foreign Waterborne Trade Statistics report produced by the Seaport.
Q. What is a TEU?
A. TEU stands for Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit - an international container measurement.
Containers, no matter how long, are measured in 20-foot lengths. For example, a 20 foot-long container is 1 TEU; a 40 foot-long container is 2 TEUs.