The Northwest Seaport Alliance is reconfiguring Pier 4 on the General Central Peninsula to align with an adjacent pier to support larger container cranes and vessels.

Manson Construction of Seattle last week began driving the first of 1,241 piles to create one contiguous berth capable of serving two 18,000-TEU container ships.

Construction is expected to occur 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, although more hours could be added, before the annual fish migration season begins mid-February.

The pier is expected to be completed in 2018.

The introduction of ever-larger container vessels has triggered dramatic changes in container shipping. Vessels with capacity for more than 10,000 TEUs are currently calling at West Coast ports, and even larger vessels are expected in the future.

– Northwest Seaport Alliance