Longshoremen secured the billets in the hold of a breakbulk ship at the Port of Seattle. Photo by Matt Ventoza of ILWU Local 19.
Nearly 40 longshore workers were loading heavy steel rods for export onto a ship at Seattle’s Terminal 105 this week, a welcome boost to the region’s export economy.
While Nucor Steel Seattle has been exporting steel, it is usually loaded into ocean containers rather than directly into the hold of what’s called a “breakbulk” ship.
“We haven’t had a designated steel ship here in the better part of 10 years. It’s a new thing coming back now,” said Cameron Williams, president of Local 19 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.