Fifty-Nine Foss Vessels Honored

The Foss Maritime Company’s commitment to environmental stewardship was underscored last month when a top maritime organization recognized 59 of its vessels for outstanding safety records. The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) honored the Foss vessels at a CSA achievement dinner in Washington, D.C. Altogether, the ships have achieved the equivalent total of 362 years without an environmental mishap. Foss is moving aggressively in other areas to improve the global environment, including new initiatives seeking to improve energy efficiencies and air quality. Foss recently announced it is collaborating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others in the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. Foss is the first carrier accepted into the program for its marine transportation services. Foss has pledged to contribute to the partnership’s goal to reduce 33 to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide per year by 2012 by improving the environmental performance of its marine operations. Foss also announced earlier this year that it will build the first true hybrid tug boat, scheduled to be delivered in 2008 to Southern California where it will work in the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. Together, these ports handle over 40 percent of all containerized cargo coming into or leaving the United States. The Foss hybrid tug is expected to achieve significant reductions in fuel consumption and emissions when compared to its sister tugs currently operating in the same market.