HMM (011200.KS), the Seoul-based ocean carrier formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine and the world's eighth-largest liner operator, has signed a contract with HD Hyundai Samho of South Korea for four new cranes at Washington United Terminals (WUT) at the Port of Tacoma, according to FreightWaves. HMM and HD Hyundai Samho are separate companies in different corporate groups. Under the contract, WUT will replace two aging quay cranes and add two new yard cranes. The upgrade will enable the terminal to handle large containerships and increase annual capacity from 590,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 880,000 TEUs, significantly strengthening its competitiveness, FreightWaves reported.
Contract with HD Hyundai Samho
Opened in 1999, WUT is operated by HMM, according to FreightWaves. The crane contract with HD Hyundai Samho covers four machines, and delivery is scheduled for 2028. HMM and HD Hyundai Samho are separate companies and belong to different corporate groups, the report noted.
Cranes, capacity and timing
The Northwest Seaport Alliance, in a release reported by local media, put the overall WUT investment at $135 million, with full project completion anticipated in 2030, according to FreightWaves. WUT does not publicly disclose annual terminal throughput.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cranes under contract | 4 |
| Replacement quay cranes | 2 |
| New yard cranes | 2 |
| Capacity before upgrade | 590,000 TEUs |
| Capacity after upgrade | 880,000 TEUs |
| Crane delivery | 2028 |
| Full project completion | 2030 |
| Total investment | $135 million |
On-dock rail and West Coast routes
HMM highlighted the terminal's on-dock rail system as the strategic reason for the investment. In an announcement carried by FreightWaves, the carrier said:
Equipped with an on-dock rail system for handling rail cars, the terminal offers excellent inland logistics connectivity, creating strong synergies with our U.S. West Coast routes.
The on-dock rail setup handles rail cars at the terminal, which HMM said gives WUT excellent inland logistics connectivity and strong synergies with its U.S. West Coast routes.
Shipper and operator implications
The expansion adds 290,000 TEUs of annual capacity at WUT, roughly 49% above the current 590,000-TEU level. HMM said the new cranes will enable the terminal to handle large containerships, a key capability for ocean carriers deploying bigger vessels. Because WUT does not publicly disclose throughput, the 2028 crane delivery and the 2030 completion date are the concrete milestones for when the added capacity comes online.
Watch list
Upcoming factors reported by FreightWaves:
- Delivery of the four cranes from HD Hyundai Samho is scheduled for 2028.
- Full project completion is anticipated in 2030, per the Northwest Seaport Alliance.
- Annual terminal capacity is set to rise from 590,000 to 880,000 TEUs.
- Throughput is not publicly disclosed, so post-expansion utilization will not be visible in WUT's own reporting.
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