ILWU representatives welcome CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin in Seattle. From left to right: Justin Hirsch, Local 19 Labor Relations Committee; John Persak, Puget Sound District Council (PSDC) president; Rich Austin Jr., Local 19 president; Gordon Baxter, lobbyist for PSDC.
From ”Massive cargo ship arrives in Seattle’s Elliott Bay” in the Seattle Times:
The largest cargo ship to visit the United States, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, arrived in Seattle Monday morning, after previous stops in Long Beach and Oakland, as part of a test call to see how quickly cranes at the ports can load and unload and how quickly containers can be brought to and taken from the port, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Because the Benjamin Franklin greatly exceeds the size of ships the ports usually see, the test call will show what parts of the infrastructure need to be expanded or upgraded.
For the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Benjamin Franklin’s arrival is meant to show that it is ready to handle the biggest cargo ships operating today. That’s important to its competitiveness, as shipping companies are increasingly using bigger and bigger vessels.
Terminal 18 already has the cranes to handle this size vessel, and the alliance is upgrading Terminal 5 to make it big-ship ready as well.