Foss Maritime Company News

U.S. offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind has contracted Belgium-based DEME for the offshore transport and installation of the wind turbine generators for the first largescale offshore wind installation in the United States.DEME's U.S. arm DEME Offshore US LLC will  team up with American maritime services contractor FOSS Maritime Company LLC to help construct the Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts. FOSS will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder vessels,…

Saltchuk Marine announced it has acquired Centerline Logistics’ harbor ship assist operations in California and the Pacific Northwest.Eight ship assist tugs currently operated under the Millennium and Starlight brands will join the Saltchuk Marine fleet in early 2021. Operations will be consolidated under the Starlight brand, which will remain independently-operated – managing, dispatching, and crewing its own boats.The acquisition increases the ship assist capacity of Saltchuk…

Centerline Logistics acquired Saltchuk Marine Services’ California ship refueling business, currently operated by subsidiary Foss Maritime Company. According to a press release from Centerline, this "major acquisition" brings together the combined capabilities of two of the nation’s leaders in petroleum transportation, strengthening Centerline’s position as a provider of around the clock bunkering (ship refueling) services.Through this expansion, Centerline will "substantially…

Arthur F. Mead, Vice President and Chief Counsel at Crowley Maritime Corporation, has been elected Chairman of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), succeeding outgoing Chairman Scott Merritt, former Chief Operating Officer with Foss Maritime Company, LLC.Members of the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association elected a new slate of leaders this week during the association's Spring Board of Directors / Annual Membership Meeting, which was held virtually due to COVID-19 precautionary measures that resulted in the meeting not taking place in Washington…

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge (CITB), an independently managed subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company, has announced that operations on Alaska’s North Slope are officially underway for the 2019 ice-free season. Three newly acquired tugs, along with barges and shore equipment, will be operating out of Prudhoe Bay for approximately the next three months.“It is great to see these vessels on the water and ready to work,” said Jeff Johnson, President of CITB. “These shallow-draft tugs and barges…

The provider of shipbuilding services Conrad Shipyard christened the oceangoing tug Kāpena Bob Purdy for Young Brothers Ltd, of Honolulu, Hawaii, a subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company.During the ceremony, which was held at Conrad Amelia in Amelia, Louisiana, Gary Lipely, Conrad Director of Sales and Marketing serving as master of ceremonies, introduced Joseph Boivin of Young Brothers, Will Roberts of Foss Maritime, and Julia MacDonald, Ship’s Sponsor.Father Clyde Mahler of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Morgan City conducted the christening, said a press release from the company which designs, builds and overhauls tugboats, ferries, liftboats…

The members of the American Waterways Operators, the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association, elected a new slate of leaders earlier this month during the association's annual Spring Convention held in Washington, D.C. Scott Merritt, former Chief Operating Officer for Foss Maritime Company, LLC, was elected Chairman. Arthur F. Mead, Vice President and General Counsel at Crowley Maritime Corporation, was elected Vice Chairman. Mr. Merritt succeeds outgoing Chairman Tom Marian…

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge (CITB), an independently managed subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company, entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Crowley Vessel Sales Group and completed the purchase of all of Crowley’s Prudhoe Bay, Alaska assets – including tugs, barges, heavy machinery and other vehicles and equipment.“These assets are already positioned on the North Slope,” said John Parrott, President and CEO of Foss. “They are operationally ready to perform shallow draft tug and…

Project Manager to Temporarily Lead Alaska Operations. Cook Inlet Tug & Barge (CITB), an independently managed subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company, announced that Foss project manager Amber Thomas has been selected as interim Business Operations Manager for Anchorage. Beginning January 2, Thomas will serve as the central point person for administrative and commercial operations, leading all shoreside activities in Anchorage and Seward. Thomas will take on the temporary position while the search continues for a new president to replace former CITB head Ben Stevens.

Foss Maritime Company said it has contracted with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Three accommodation vessels are being utilized and will serve as floating hotels, providing safe housing and warm meals for responders. With these vessels, Foss will be able to help feed and temporarily house 729 people.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the appointment of 29 new members to the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC). Established in 2010, MTSNAC is comprised of leaders from commercial transportation firms, ship construction, repair and recycling, trade associations, state and local public entities, labor organizations, academics, and environmental groups that advise the Secretary and the Maritime Administration on policies to ensure that the U.S. Marine Transportation System is capable of responding to projected trade increases. The Committee advises the Secretary on solutions to impediments hindering effective use of short sea transportation and other matters as the Secretary determines.

MARAD released an Energy Efficiency White Paper. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced the availability of the Energy Efficiency White Paper that provides marine vessel owners and operators information on how to evaluate potential investments in efficiency measures and technologies. The white paper outlines the latest energy efficiency measures currently available for marine vessels, including how the technology works, potential fuel savings, applicability to various vessels types, and lifecycle costs. If implemented, these types of energy efficiency measures may also assist owners of vessels undergoing a major conversion to comply with the Energy Efficiency for Ships Regulations contained in Chapter 4 of MARPOL Annex VI.

Foss Maritime Company chief operating officer John Parrott will take over the role of president of Foss Maritime, assuming responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company as of August 1, 2016. Current president and CEO, Paul Stevens, will remain CEO of Foss until the end of 2016. He will then move to Foss' parent company, Saltchuk, where he will serve as senior vice president and managing director. Parrott, who came to Foss as COO in January of this year from sister company TOTE Maritime, takes the helm with more than 28 years of maritime experience, both at sea and ashore.

Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington informed the sale of the 1,700BHP “Benjamin Foss” by Foss Maritime Company of Seattle, Washington to private U.S. interests. The 78.0’ x 26.3’ x 11.0’ depth x 9.7’ draft, tug was built in 1980 by Main Iron Works of Houma, Louisiana as Hull 352 - the first in a series of seven “Super D” class, advanced, medium size tugs contracted in 1979. The low-profile tugs were built for PacTow, a Dillingham Maritime Company, and Foss Maritime, also a subsidiary of Dillingham in the 1980s, as a larger, enhanced version of the popular 1,200HP, 66’ “D” class boats built in the mid-1960s. After delivery from the shipyard, “Benjamin Foss” remained in the U.S.

Foss Maritime Company recently announced it will open a consolidated customer service center in Oregon in April 2016. The company's existing Portland office will be renovated and modernized to incorporate the best available customer service technologies, including a state-of-the-art telephony system, heightened cyber security, and enhanced dispatching and vessel tracking capabilities. "Consolidating customer service in our Columbia Snake River location will allow us to enhance both our service and our responsiveness," said Chris Wolf, Director of Customer Service at Foss. Today, Foss serves regional, national and international customers in ports along the Pacific seaboard, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as across the globe, with a service center in Washington and Oregon, and two in California.

Foss Maritime Company is wholly owned by Saltchuk Resources, a privately owned family investment company formed in 1982 and based in the Pacific Northwest. Saltchuk has over $2 billion of assets invested in numerous operating companies in several different business groups, including deep water shipping logistics, ship management, tug and barge operations, fuel distribution and trucking. Foss regularly partners with its sister companies in the Saltchuk portfolio to offer a diverse range of maritime transportation services.

The 11th annual Norm Manly Puget Sound Maritime (PSM) / Youth Maritime Training Association (YMTA) Maritime Educational Scholarship competition was held on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Compass Course Maritime Training. Bethany Shimasaki from Des Moines and attended Seattle Christian School, volunteers at Seattle Aquarium, and is planning to attend the University of California San Diego, majoring in marine science received a $2,000 scholarship  sponsored by Ocean Peace, Inc. Rosie Wilcox from Chimacum Pi Program…

President & CEO: Paul E. Foss Maritime Company is wholly owned by Saltchuk Resources, a privately owned family investment company formed in 1982 and based in the Pacific Northwest. Saltchuk has over $2 billion of assets invested in numerous operating companies in several different business groups, including deep water shipping logistics, ship management, tug and barge operations, fuel distribution, and trucking. Foss regularly partners with its sister companies in the Saltchuk portfolio to offer a diverse range of maritime transportation services.

Oil and gas—and also mining—are the drivers today propelling Arctic maritime operations and the construction of new vessels able to operate in extreme latitudes. While the gas and oil resources can be recovered in the Arctic or far north and shipped to markets by sea or pipeline, the cost of doing must be balanced upon the global market price for those commodities. Ships and marine structures able to operate in the harsh conditions of the extreme latitudes require special designs and construction techniques.

Foss Maritime Builds New Ice-Class Tugs as it embarks on a new Arctic Challenge. To support growing Arctic business, Seattle-based Foss Maritime Company is building three ocean-going tugs at its Rainier Shipyard in Oregon on the Columbia River. These 132 feet-long, Ice Class vessels will have strengthened hulls designed to withstand the harsh, Arctic climate conditions into which they will eventually be deployed. Work on the tugs began in July, and the first in the series will be delivered in December 2014.

Hawaiian Tug & Barge, which provides harbor support services in all major ports of Hawaii, has adopted new colors and a new name: Foss Maritime Company. Founded by Young Brothers Ltd., Hawaiian Tug & Barge (HTB) was formed as a sister company to separate harbor operations and charter activities from Young Brothers' inter-island freight operations. HTB has since become Hawaii's leading tug and barge transportation company operating four tugs with 20 employees. Young Brothers and HTB joined the Foss Maritime group of companies in 1999.

ASRC Energy Services Response Operations, LLC, a leading offshore spill response operator in Alaska, and Foss Maritime Company, one of the nation's largest coastal tug and barge operators, have formed a joint venture to together pursue marine services opportunities throughout Alaska. The joint venture, called AES-Foss Marine, LLC, will be headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. The venture will build upon the strengths of each company to provide marine services throughout the state.

When Sandy struck New York and New Jersey in October 2012, Foss applied lessons learned from the 2010 Haiti earthquake. A year after Hurricane Sandy struck America's East Coast, the federal government has honored Foss Maritime Company for its part in critical relief work. Vice Admiral Mark D. Harnitchek, director, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), made the award to the Seattle-based company during a ceremony at the agency's headquarters, citing its ability to quickly move personnel and equipment to devastated, hard-to-reach locations in New York and the New Jersey shore.