Spotted: Panama Canal Brings HEROs to Puget Sound

On August 9, The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s (NWSA) East Blair One terminal in Tacoma welcomed a Post-Panamax RoRo vessel, MV Thalatta, owned by Norwegian shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL).

According to the NWSA, the first-call visit of this vessel indicates the larger locks in Panama open new opportunities for both RoRo and container cargoes moving through the Pacific Northwest.

“The wider Panama Canal provides our gateway with expanded capacity to global markets, particularly in Europe, the Mediterranean and South America,” Bari Bookout, the NWSA’s chief commercial officer for non-container, said.

The Thalatta is the second in WWL’s High Efficiency RoRo (HERO) fleet. Its sister ship, the MV Themis, is expected to visit the NWSA this fall.

Built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, the RoRo vessel features a length of 199.9 meters and a width of 36.5 meters. With five liftable decks, the Thalatta can transport up to 8,000 vehicles.