March 17, 2025 — This year, the Port of Everett Seaport and two of its international shipping liners – Eastern Car Liner Ltd. (ECL) and Swire Shipping (formerly Westwood Shipping Lines) – celebrate 20 years of direct service, supporting the efficient movement of cargo across the global supply chain.
The Port of Everett Seaport is Puget Sound’s premier breakbulk cargo facility, handling high-value, conventional and over-dimensional cargoes in support of the aerospace, military, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, energy and forest products industries.
Over the past two decades, through its many longstanding partnerships like those with ECL and Swire Shipping, the Port of Everett has moved more than $319 billion worth of imports and exports through its shipping facilities. The Port of Everett Seaport consistently ranks as #2 export customs district in Washington state and #5 on the entire U.S West Coast.
With 60% of jobs in Snohomish County tied to international trade, the Port of Everett Seaport is a key resource for supporting the regional economy.
“Port operations support more than 40,000 jobs in the region thanks, in part, to these key shipping partnerships, our investment in flexible infrastructure and our skilled workforce,” Port of Everett Executive Director/CEO Lisa Lefeber said. “We are proud that both ECL and Swire Shipping have called on our Port for the past 20 years, and we look forward to many more years of partnership.”
The Port serves as an extension of the regional aerospace manufacturing process. The Port, ECL, and Swire Shipping have worked together to successfully transport all oversized components for the 747 (now retired), 767, 777, 777X, and KC-Tanker programs, bringing aerospace parts manufactured in Japan to the factory floor here in Everett, Wash.
In addition to aerospace, ECL and Swire Shipping transport many cargoes critical to other key industries and jobs across the region– from automotive, military, and construction to agriculture, forest products, consumer goods and more. Both companies have decades of experience in providing customers with safe, efficient, and reliable service between ports all over the world.
Port of Everett Executive Director/CEO Lisa Lefeber and Seaport leadership, Chief Operating Officer Carl Wollebek and Cara Craig, Director of Trade Development, visited ECL and Swire Shipping’s offices in Japan to mark the anniversary. The Port of Everett also has a longstanding relationship with the Port of Nagoya, Japan, and made a reciprocal visit to the port after Everett welcomed a Nagoya delegation last summer.
“ECL joins the Port of Everett to celebrate our 20 years of regular port calls. Success is achieved when all parties cooperate harmoniously. Much of ECL cargo is difficult and sensitive, demanding high attention. We continue calling the Port of Everett because of the success and close partnership not only with the Port, but also with our stevedore, SSA Marine, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) labor force, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We thank the Port of Everett for fostering an environment of safe and efficient ship and cargo handling, and we are confident this will continue.”
– Bill Christ, Executive VP & COO, Eastern Car Liner (Americas), Inc.
“We are proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our partnership with the Port of Everett. The Port is a vital part of our commitment to provide speedy service and industry-leading reliability to customers in the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership as we work together to connect communities and promote trade in the region.”
– Harry Stones, President, Swire Shipping North America
20 Years of Port of Everett Seaport Investment
The Port of Everett Seaport has more than doubled its operational capacity in the last two decades. The addition of two, 40-ton capacity gantry cranes at Pacific Terminal in 2005 and the construction of Mount Baker Terminal in 2008, a custom aerospace facility in south Everett, created the opportunity for ECL and Swire Shipping to move aerospace shipments directly to and from the Port of Everett.
More recently, over the past decade, the Port has invested more than $150 million to modernize and green its Seaport. The Port’s $57 million South Terminal Modernization that was completed in 2021 made it possible for the Port to serve the larger ships and heavier cargoes of today’s modern shipping industry – adding another full-service berth and expanding on-dock rail. The Port’s new 40-acre Norton Terminal followed, opening in 2022. It is the first all-new cargo terminal to open on the U.S. West Coast in more than a decade, adding critical capacity to the global supply chain.
The Port strives for sustainable development at the waterfront. While the opening of Norton Terminal increased operational capacity, it also marked the completion of a multi-million-dollar upland environmental cleanup and redevelopment effort of a former mill site. The Port is also working toward electrifying its Seaport by expanding shore power infrastructure to reduce its carbon footprint and serve an emerging market of all-electric harbor craft.
“We have been able to accomplish an incredible amount of work in the past two decades thanks to the strong leadership and foresight of our Port Commissioners, the diligent efforts of our staff, the ILWU, our loyal customers, and logistics and shipping partners like Swire Shipping and ECL,” said Carl Wollebek, Chief Operating Officer at the Seaport.
The Port has received international recognition for its efforts over the years. Most recently, the Port of Everett Seaport was named 2024 Port/Terminal Operator of the Year by Heavy Lift and Project Forwarding International, an international industry honor, for its maritime investments, quality customer service, high environmental and safety standards, and strong commitment to handle heavy lift and project cargoes.
