Seattle - Terminal 30, on the East Duwamish Waterway, will be the site of the Port of Seattle's second cruise terminal. Port of Seattle Commissioners voted recently to invest $16.5 million to convert the vacant container terminal for use as a passenger facility. In 2003, the Port expects more than 100 cruise ships and over 400,000 passengers to come to Seattle, an increase from 1999, when Seattle saw just six ships and 7,000 passengers.

The new cruise terminal will include a 90,000-sq.-ft. metal building, on-site parking, a pair of gangways, security equipment, fencing, signage and facilities for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and U.S. Customs Service. The pier at Terminal 30 is long enough to berth two cruise ships at a time.

Terminal 30, which became available in June 2002 when the container lines calling there moved to Terminal 5, offers several advantages over Pier 90, which had previously been identified as the site of the second cruise terminal. It is close to the airport, downtown and Pioneer Square, and it offers ample acreage for all of the activities that support cruise operations.

The new cruise facility will be ready for the 2003 cruise season and will serve vessels operated by Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. The port's first cruise terminal at Bell Street Pier opened in 2000 and serves ships operated by Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International.