The Port of Seattle has broken ground on renovations for its Ship Supply Building, in a bid to transition it into an environmentally sustainable Maritime Innovation Center.
According to a release from the port on May 21, the new facility be able to generate its own energy, capture its own water, and process its own waste. The original Ship Supply Building was built in 1914, and in its new iteration, it will house 15,000 square feet of work space for anchor tenants, incubators, and accelerators, as well as areas that can be reserved for meetings, seminars, and classes.
“The future of the maritime industry and the ocean economy is innovative, sustainable, and equitable,” Port of Seattle commissioner Ryan Calkins said. “The Maritime Innovation Center will foster an atmosphere of collaboration and innovation which will ensure that all the sectors of the maritime industry, from commercial fishing to the growing green maritime economy, have not only a home but an anchor in Seattle.”
The project was first announced in August of 2023, and is expected to finish by the end of 2025 for $32.6 million. That’s in addition to $100 million in investments from the port to maintain docks for commercial fishers and enhance other facilities in the area.