General information about how this market works, not legal, regulatory, tax or financial advice. It does not indicate that Zeaclub maintains an office in Seattle. Requirements depend on the applicable authority, contract and jurisdiction, and change without notice.
Seattle at a glance
| Seattle | |
|---|---|
| Competent authority | United States Coast Guard, Sector Puget Sound |
| Compulsory pilotage | Puget Sound Pilots |
| Approach constraint | Long Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound transit; deep water throughout but a substantial pilotage passage |
| Port state control | USCG port state control regime (outside the MoU structure) |
| Register | US flag for domestic trades under the Jones Act; foreign flags in international trades |
| Principal ports | Terminal 5, Terminal 18, Terminal 30, Tacoma nearby |
| Currency | USD |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) / PDT |
What changes in Seattle
The long Puget Sound transit is the distinctive laytime component here — many hours from the pilot station to the berth, through deep but confined water. It is predictable, which makes it plannable, but it is substantial and must be counted rather than absorbed.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance adds a wrinkle: berth allocation may fall to Seattle or Tacoma, and the two differ materially in transit time from the pilot station. An allocation change after fixture can therefore change the port time, which is worth addressing in the charter.
- Long, predictable transit from the Strait of Juan de Fuca — count it, do not absorb it.
- Berth allocation may fall to Seattle or Tacoma with materially different transit times.
- Alaska trades run under the Jones Act to their own seasonal schedules.
- Fog and winter weather affect the strait passage seasonally.
- Depth is not a constraint; time is.
What drives Puget Sound laytime exposure
| Driver | Effect |
|---|---|
| Transit length | Many hours from pilot station to berth |
| Berth allocation | Seattle or Tacoma; transit times differ |
| Seasonal weather | Fog affects the strait passage |
| Depth | Not a constraint |
| Alaska trades | Own seasonal rhythm under the Jones Act |
The Seattle cluster
Seattle operates with Tacoma as the Northwest Seaport Alliance, sharing container volume across both harbours. The approach is deep but long — a substantial transit from the Strait of Juan de Fuca — and the port is the principal US gateway for Alaska trades, which run under the Jones Act and have their own seasonal rhythm.
- Northwest Seaport Alliance with Tacoma
- Principal Alaska trade gateway
- Deep water with no draft restriction
- Transpacific and Asian services
The fundamentals
Demurrage is compensation for time the vessel spent waiting beyond the agreed allowance. The money has, in a real sense, already been earned — the ship has already sat there. Losing the claim afterwards, on documentation or a time bar, is the purest form of avoidable loss in shipping.
This is the shared explanation, common to every market. The full treatment is in Demurrage and Laytime: How Owners Lose Valid Claims.
Frequently asked questions
Should the Puget Sound transit be in the laytime calculation?
It should certainly be in the voyage plan. Whether it counts as laytime depends on the charter and the NOR position, but it is many hours and treating it as arrival overhead will misstate the port time considerably.
Does it matter whether the berth is Seattle or Tacoma?
Yes — the transit times from the pilot station differ materially. Because the Northwest Seaport Alliance allocates across both harbours, an allocation change can alter port time, which is worth addressing at fixture.
Primary sources
- United States Coast GuardAccessed 2026-08-30
- USCG Office of Commercial Vessel ComplianceAccessed 2026-08-30