Big Zim Ship Makes First Call at Seattle

Zim Integrated Shipping Service's 10,000-TEU Zim Djibouti was at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 18 on Thursday, Aug. 27. The vessel is the largest to call at the port. It is deployed in the Grand Alliance’s Pacific Northwest Service, which links Seattle to Singapore, Laem Chabang, Shekou, Hong Kong, and Kaohsiung.

“The inclusion of such a large vessel in a string that calls Seattle demonstrates that we have the capability to handle very big ships,” said Charlie Sheldon, managing director of the Port of Seattle’s Seaport Division. “The capacity Zim brings to our harbor is good news for shippers that want to take advantage of our superior intermodal connections as well as for Pacific Northwest exporters who want to reach customers in Asia.”

The port welcomed the ship with an onboard plaque presentation commemorating the vessel's first stop in Seattle.

The largest ships to previously call at Seattle, the 9,000-TEU Marit Maersk and Mette Maersk, arrived at the port in the first week of June.

“We’ve welcomed new services from Maersk, CMA CGM and Zim this summer, so we’ve had a lot of large, new vessels in our harbor,” Sheldon said. “These new services should help improve our container volume performance next year.”