Marine Resources Group Becomes Foss Marine Holdings
Largest US tug and barge holding company unites family of companies under single powerful brand. America's largest coastal tug and barge operator is taking a new - but widely recognized - name: Foss Marine Holdings, Inc. Company officials announced today that Marine Resources Group (MRG) is becoming Foss Marine Holdings. The Foss name - which celebrates a rich maritime tradition that includes century-long service and a record of innovation - will now represent a family of independent subsidiary companies that spans North America and the globe.
AmNav Announces Innovative New Tug Series
AmNav Maritime Services of San Francisco, Calif., is set to take delivery of the first in a new series of technologically advanced 5,000 to 7,000 hp Azmuthing Stern Drive (ASD) ship assist tugs to be built by Halter Marine, Inc. of Gulfport, Miss. Merritt added, "the 'Enhanced ASD Thruster Tugs' design integrates a wide beam and forward skeg hull form, ASD propulsion units, high performance engines, remotely controlled winches and an automated wheelhouse command system to meet the challenging demands of efficient, safe, and environmentally responsible ship handling requirements of today's modern ports and terminal facilities. "The first 'Enhanced ASD Thruster Tug,' scheduled for delivery in May, 2001, will be 6,250 horse power with principle hull dimensions of 98 ft. in length, 40 ft.
Foss Maritime Company to Build New Class of Tugs
Foss Maritime Company of Seattle, Wa., has announced plans to build a new class of the highest horsepower tugs on the West Coast devoted exclusively to ship docking. The new series of 6,250 horsepower Azmuthing Stern Drive (ASD) thruster tugs will be constructed for the use in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., by Halter Marine Inc., in Lockport, Lou. This tug is scheduled for arrival early in the fourth quarter of 2001. The 6,250 hp Detroit Diesel engines are fitted in a hull that will have an overall length of 98 ft. and a beam of 40 ft. The propulsion driveline consists of the new fuel efficient, electronically controlled Detroit 16V4000 main engines, which exceed California's air quality standards for low emissions.
Four New Tugs to Boost AMNAV’s Fleet
In a commitment to significantly enhance services to its customers, and to expand its ship-assist capabilities at California’s largest ports, AMNAV Maritime Services will construct four new tugs that will be among the most powerful in the marketplace. The multi-million dollar fleet expansion was announced by Milton Merritt, president of the company that is already a major provider of ship-docking services on San Francisco Bay and at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. “Through this investment, we will be both growing and improving our presence in the ship-assist sector,” said Merritt. AMNAV, part of Seattle-based Marine Resources Group (MRG), will build the new tugs at an MRG-owned shipyard in Rainier, Oregon.
Lawmakers Consider Tougher Safety Rules for Ships
Bay Area members of Congress suggested that tougher safeguards might be needed on cargo ships to prevent accidents like the recent Cosco Busan spill that resulted in 58,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel in San Francisco Bay. One possibility would be to require double-skins on fuel tanks or some sort of partial double hull on cargo ships. In response to the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989, all oil tankers in U.S. waters must have double hulls by 2015. Another would be to make the Coast Guard's vessel transport system more stringent for ships entering and leaving ports, like the air traffic control system. Though the Cosco Busan did not have a double hull…
