A 200,000-Ton Container Ship is Headed Straight for Seattle

Image: Eric Garcetti

Good rule of thumb for Puget Sound boaters: If you see a giant 200,000-ton container ship headed in your direction, move. You're not going to win that game of chicken. This exact situation might come up when The Benjamin Franklin, a 1,300-foot long vessel, makes a pitstop at Seattle's Terminal 18 later this month. In terms of scale, the ship is longer than the Empire State Building is tall (1,250 feet) and much more so than Seattle's tallest building, Columbia Center (943 feet). The ship is also 177 feet wide and 200 feet tall and can carry up to 18,000, 20-foot shipping containers. The vessel is expected to stop in Long Beach before headed to Harbor Island. Try not to stare.
· Container ship larger than the Empire State Building will visit Seattle waters this month [PSBJ]