Weekly Roundup: Strong Vessel Traffic, Legislative Wins, and Navigating Uncertain Waters

This week brought a welcome boost to vessel activity across Puget Sound, along with some important progress on the legislative front. As spring weather delivered record-breaking warmth, the Marine Exchange stayed busy supporting ship arrivals, hosting industry partners, and advancing critical maritime policy work. Here’s a closer look at what happened this week:

Vessel Traffic Surges 27%

Vessel arrivals jumped significantly, with a 27% increase compared to last week. Container traffic rose 29%, vehicle carriers surged 78%, and tanker arrivals grew by 22%. Passenger traffic also picked up as cruise season edges closer, recording a 67% rise in vessel counts.

Seattle and Tacoma continued to anchor the region’s activity, each seeing double-digit increases in port arrivals. March Point also saw a 43% boost, reinforcing the importance of our fuel supply chain hubs.

It’s an encouraging sign that Puget Sound remains an essential gateway, even as global shipping markets wrestle with rising uncertainty.

Scholarship Fundraiser: Cruise Aboard the Virginia V

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the JV Maritime Scholarship Fundraiser Cruise, happening June 12th aboard the historic Virginia V on Lake Union.

This event supports maritime career pathways for the next generation. Come enjoy an evening on the water and help us invest in the future of our industry! Learn more and register here.

Community Connections: Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers (SNAME)

This week, we hosted members of SNAME for an information exchange and networking event. The Marine Exchange is proud to foster collaboration across disciplines, bringing together operational expertise, engineering innovation, and academic leadership to strengthen the maritime sector.

Legislative Update: Wins for Washington’s Maritime Future

This week delivered several key victories in Olympia:

• SB 5794: Major opposition success — harmful tax provisions removed before passage.

• HB 1264: Delivered to the Governor — supporting collective bargaining for ferry workers.

• Career and Maritime Education Bills: Creating new pathways into maritime jobs — both bills heading to the Governor’s desk.

• Vessel Permit Modernization and Paid Family Leave for Dockworkers: Progressing with strong bipartisan support.

These outcomes reflect months of advocacy and coalition-building. We’ll continue tracking remaining bills as the session closes.

Technology & Data: AIS and Cloud Modernization

All 7 of our AIS receiver towers remain fully operational with 99.9%+ uptime. Work continues to migrate our ship database to a new cloud platform — setting the stage for more advanced API connections, automated backups, and greater system resilience.

We’re still awaiting a hardware repair at Ellis, but no major disruptions have been noted.

Spotlight of the Week: Red Light/Green Light on Trade

Global trade is flashing warning signals. Between new tariff threats, rising gold prices, currency volatility, and skyrocketing national debt, the economic backdrop feels increasingly unstable. Goldman Sachs just doubled its probability estimate for a U.S. recession in the next year.

While it’s too early to predict exactly how this will hit Washington’s ports, we’re closely watching indicators like:

• Rising blank sailings (canceled voyages)

• Increased abandoned cargo rates

• Shifts in job reports and inflation rates

The Marine Exchange will stay vigilant, providing real-time insights and operational support as conditions evolve.

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Thanks for staying connected with the Marine Exchange. We’re proud to serve the Puget Sound maritime community, ensuring safe, efficient, and resilient operations — no matter what waters we find ourselves navigating.

If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to reserve your spot for the Virginia V Scholarship Cruise!