Originally published on Pacific Marine Business News August 15, 2023
By Karen Robes Meeks
The Port of Seattle plans to build a Maritime Innovation Center in the Ship Supply Building at Fishermen’s Terminal, the port announced Aug. 8.
Port commissioners have agreed to invest $32.6 million toward building the center, which would house incubator and accelerator programs for businesses and nurture workforce development programs in the maritime industry. The center is expected to be built sustainably.
“The transformation of the port’s oldest building into a world-class center is a reflection of the port’s commitment to investing in innovation so that the maritime industry and marine environment will thrive for generations to come,” Port Commissioner Fred Felleman said in a statement.
“The Maritime Innovation Center will inspire collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, and workers that will grow our region’s blue-green economy by drawing on our heritage to create living wage careers of the future,” Fellerman said.
“With 90% of the world’s trade traveling over the ocean, and increasing demand for maritime services such as commercial fishing, sustainability innovations, and recreation, Puget Sound maritime industries could benefit from a global boom,” the port said in a statement.
Construction on the Maritime Innovation Center is set to start by the second quarter of 2024 and is anticipated to be done by the end of 2025, according to the port.