Port of Seattle Traffic & Cargo
In operation for over 200 years, the Port of Seattle is the 14th largest port in North America and 57th largest in the world. The Port boasts an impressive 3.7 million TEUs of cargo every year, and the three major operating divisions of the Port (Aviation, Real Estate, and Seaport) encompass a large working area along Seattle’s coastline including several adjacent bays and harbors such as Elliot Bay and the Duwamish Waterway.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance, a merger between the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma, is the third-largest cargo gateway in the United States and connects directly to 63 direct international ports of call for important cargo handling. This cargo comes from all over the world and serves many different industries, as the Port’s convenient location allows for a high level of goods to come into the Port from businesses on the Pacific as well as goods produced from America to be sent on their way. Foreign trade is popular enough in the Port that an entire section of the harbor is designated as a Foreign Trade Zone to streamline customs operations and allow for faster, more profitable trade with overseas business.
Seattle Cruise Lines, Tours, & Fishing
Cruise lines are also growing in popularity in the Port thanks to its location on the Pacific Northwest. Over 200 major cruise ships from lines like Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean call the Port home, ferrying visitors to points all along the Pacific Rim and as far north as Alaska. A number of local tour boats pass through the Port every day as well, taking tourists and visitors up and down the various rivers and waterways of the Seattle area to see the sights and experience the unique fishing opportunities the area offers.
Seattle Boating Injuries & Maritime Injuries
The large amount of traffic contributes to a high number of Port of Seattle boat accidents and maritime injuries in the area. Seattle’s booming pleasure boating and ‘duck boat’ industry has led to a number of collisions between boats and capsized vessels, often resulting in injury or death for the passengers. Accidents can also happen while working on the harbor due to the sheer volume of cargo that passes through, and hundreds of dockworkers can be injured or killed every year due to negligence or accidents on the job. Among the recent tragic accidents occuring in the waters of Seattle include missing passengers after a collision between smaller boats, incidents involving drunk boaters, and paddle boarders creating dangerous situations for larger, slower ferry boats.
Seattle Jones Act & Maritime Lawyers
If you’ve been hurt while working or playing on the Port of Seattle, you need a tough and experienced maritime law firm that can help you navigate the complicated waters of maritime law and the Jones Act – and that means you need the O’Bryan Law Firm. We’ve recovered millions for injured seamen just like you, and we can handle any maritime law, boating accident, or cruise ship illness case that comes our way.
Contact us today and let us fight for you.
*Dennis M. O’Bryan is enrolled to practice before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from the federal district courts of Washington. In those federal district courts in which he is not generally admitted to practice, such as Seattle, he gains admission pro hac vice, on a case by case basis, by securing the sponsorship of a reputable local attorney. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, where his office is located.
