Maritime Innovation Center (MInC)

Renderings provided by Miller Hull Partnership

Project Overview

As part of the Port's investment to modernize Fishermen’s Terminal, the Port of Seattle is investing in a flagship building called the Maritime Innovation Center (MInC), where emerging maritime companies can solve industry problems, find technical and financial support, and build their ideas into reality under one roof.

Built in 1914, the historic Ship Supply Building will be restored and modernized into a 15,000 square foot facility with a mix of working space for incubators, accelerators, and anchor tenants along with fabrication and event space. The MInC is designed to meet the Living Building Challenge – the most progressive sustainability standard in the country – in alignment with the Port’s goal to be the Greenest Port in North America. The Port of Seattle will operate the MInC in partnership with Maritime Blue, and host emerging companies that are working to solve maritime industry problems, increase the maritime workforce, as well as advance blue economy opportunities around the world.

VISION FOR THE CENTER

The MInC will have the structure of our oldest building and feature our most modern and sustainable building investments as Living Building-certified. The MInC will serve as a focal point for maritime innovation and entrepreneurship and help drive the region’s economic development. It will be a place to help support investment in BlueTech start-ups and new technologies and offer an incubator and accelerator environment. It aims to support workforce development and maritime career exploration. It will also include 15,000 total square feet of working space for incubators, accelerators, and anchor tenants along with fabrication and reservable spaces for meetings, seminars, and classes.

Along with the building renovation, there will be a set of public space improvements in and around the vicinity of the Maritime Innovation Center which will include wayfinding and site signage, interpretative signage and landscaping which connects to our goal to become a model for equity, diversity, and inclusion.  This package of improvements enhances the public experience at Fishermen’s Terminal that was a priority of the FT Strategic Plan.  Our design works to balance our objectives of inviting the public to explore FT and understand the value of the working waterfront.

SUSTAINABILITY

The MInC will be Living Building Challenge-certified in alignment with the Port’s sustainability goals. As a Living Building, the MInC will have its own utility, generate its own energy, capture its own water, and process its own waste. Some of the advanced LBC sustainability and resiliency features include:

• Net positive energy
• Photovoltaic energy production
• Salvaged materials
• High-performance envelope
• Reduced carbon emissions
• Natural ventilation
• Natural lighting and views
• Rainwater capture
• Ground source heat exchange
• Grey + blackwater treatment
• Stormwater treatment
• Red list free materials

HOME OF THE INNOVATION ACCELERATOR

New ideas in one of the most traditional sectors in Washington are critical for a thriving maritime economy and to protect our planet, precious natural resources, and ocean life. The MInC will become the home base for the annual Innovation Accelerator Program that is managed by Washington Maritime Blue and the Port of Seattle. The four-month, mentor-based accelerator program brings together founders from Washington, the region, and beyond to learn new skills, connect with resources, and scale their work to develop ocean-based climate solutions and become the next big job creators for the state.

Community Benefits

The MInC will benefit the region and the maritime community in several ways:

• Job creation – Creating new employment opportunities for local residents and youth in the participating startups
• Enhanced image– Building the region’s reputation as a center or excellence for growth in the blue economy
• Increased entrepreneurialism – Elevating awareness of entrepreneurs and stimulating confidence in the maritime industry to create new products and services
• Business development – Sparking new opportunities for established area businesses to develop relationships with early-stage companies
• Increased tax revenue – Generating a larger, more diverse tax base to support public services and contribute to livability and health
• Workforce development – Nurturing the next generation of diverse, inclusive, and representative maritime workforce with technological expertise and access to clean, healthy, living-wage jobs

Timeline

Estimated Project Costs

Total cost for this project is $32.6 million.

Project Milestones

April 2025 - Construction Updates

Construction has been progressing with crews successfully shifting the MInC building to its final location near the docks and have begun activities to restore the building's structural integrity.