Alaska Marine Lines News

A fully loaded container barge that broke loose and struck a pier in downtown Seattle has been towed to safety.The U.S. Coast Guard said it was notified at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday that the barge had broken loose from Terminal 18 and went adrift in Elliot Bay.The barge, owned by Lyden's Alaska Marine Lines, was drifting toward the Great Wheel and the Seattle Aquarium when it was intercepted by a King County Water Taxi vessel, Doc Maynard, which used its bow to push the barge north in an attempt to prevent an allision.The barge eventually struck Pier 66, causing landside damage.

Removal operations for a tug partially submerged at the National Guard Dock in Gastineau Channel, near Juneau, Alaska, are scheduled, weather pending, to be conducted this week and into the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Melino’s Marine Services, the contracted salvage company, plans to remove the vessel utilizing a barge and crane system that are currently enroute from Bellingham, Wash.The operation is expected to take multiple days pending weather conditions. Once the vessel is removed…

Alaska Marine Lines says four of its rail barges will receive new piping and ballast systems designed by Glosten with installation by Meridian Marine Industries."The rail barges are hitting 20 years of service and were in need of some upgrades," explains John Maketa, T-115 Port Engineer in Seattle. "These barges are the backbone of our rail operations and Central Alaska service. The updates will prepare them for another 20 years of service."Two barges, the Anchorage Provider and Whittier Provider, already have the new piping systems installed.

Alaska Marine Lines expanded its fleet with the purchase of two cargo barges, the Kamakani and Namakani, from Oregon-based Sause Bros. Sause terminated its Hawaii service in March and Alaska Marine Lines is now serving its customers.The Kamakani and the Namakani are now the largest of all Alaska Marine Lines vessels – each with a 438-foot overall length and 105 feet of width and a payload of 16,869 tons. "For comparison, our railbarges are 420 feet long and 100 feet wide with a payload of 15…

Alaska marine transportation company Alaska Marine Lines said that it is expanding its service from Seattle and Anchorage to the Arctic Region in 2019.Bowhead Transport will provide the destination services at the North Slope villages of Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, Utqiagvik (Barrow), and Kaktovik. Alaska Marine Lines will also service Deadhorse with its two annual sealifts.Bowhead, thru its teaming agreement with Alaska Marine Lines, will continue to participate in the door-to-shore service to the Arctic that it initiated over 30 years ago.The new stops will be added to Alaska Marine Lines' many ports of call, joining the major hubs of Naknek…

Alaska Marine Lines celebrated the launch of its newest barge, Skagway Provider, at a ceremony July 7 at Gunderson Marine in Portland, Ore. where the vessel was constructed. The heavy deck cargo barge will make its maiden voyage from Seattle to Southeast Alaska July 29 and will begin serving Alaska Marine Lines customers on the Seattle to Southeast Alaska route. “We are proud to offer our customers additional capacity between Seattle and Southeast Alaska via the Skagway Provider,” said Kevin Anderson, president of Alaska Marine Lines.

Marine services company Harley Marine Services (HMS) has expanded its management team, naming Don Martin as Vice President and General Counsel and Steve Carlson as Vice President of Engineering, the company announced today. Prior to joining Harley Marine, Martin was the Vice President and General Counsel for Delta Western and Hawaii Petroleum where he oversaw all aspects of safety, risk management and regulatory compliance for the fuel distribution companies. Prior to Delta Western, Martin served as the Director of U.S.

Alaska Marine Lines, a marine transportation company providing barge service to and from Alaska and Hawaii, informs it has filed with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to decrease the fuel surcharge from certain locations as a result of fluctuating fuel costs.   Effective September 6, the line’s fuel surcharge will be reduced from 29 percent to 28 percent on shipments to, from and within Central Alaska and Prince William Sound locations

Alaska Marine Lines has filed with the Surface Transportation Board to decrease the fuel surcharge from 31% to 29% on shipments to, from and within Central Alaska and Prince William Sound locations. The line has also filed to decrease the fuel surcharge from 14% to 7% on shipments to, from and within Southeast Alaska. The decreases will become effective on January 25, 2015. Alaska Marine Lines said it will continue to monitor fuel prices on a daily basis and will adjust the fuel surcharge when necessary.

Alaska Marine Lines, a Lynden company providing marine transportation to and from Alaska, is continuing its efforts to work lean and green by purchasing 200 of the most energy efficient refrigerated units in the world. The Star Cool "reefers" achieve the industry's lowest energy consumption by matching the compressor speed to the required heat load of the container rather than running at a single constant speed. In addition, the box and refrigeration equipment are built as one unit with an insulation system designed to minimize energy loss.

Beginning on February 2, 2014 Alaska Marine Lines (AML) said it will utilize a different method for calculating fuel surcharge related to pick up, delivery and trucking in the Lower 48 and Alaska. Prior to this change AML has charged the same FSC for trucking and barge transportation. The cost of fuel for trucking can vary greatly compared to ocean transportation. AML trucking services are primarily provided by contracted owner/operators. According to AML, the inland fuel surcharge more closely reflects the amount it pays for the trucking service that is purchased on behalf of its customers. The Inland FSC will be adjusted weekly using the Federal Energy Information website to determine fuel price.

The Lynden family of companies welcomes Northland Services, a marine transportation company providing shipping between Seattle, Alaska and Hawaii. Northland is a dynamic company with talented people and a great reputation," says Lynden President and CEO Jon Burdick. "Its barge capabilities to Hawaii and Western Alaska complement Lynden's current service offerings and allow us to provide expanded services to our customers. Northland's barge service from the Pacific Northwest to Hawaii enhances Lynden's current ship and air services to the islands. The addition of Northland's Western Alaska barge services enables Lynden to service ports throughout the State of Alaska. Both companies share a commitment to keep customers' freight moving smoothly and efficiently through the transition process.

The Coast Guard is investigating an allision that occurred between an Alaska Marine Lines barge and the Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore in Cordova, Sunday. The Sycamore, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender, was at its moorings when the allision occurred and suffered damage to its bow. There have been no reports of injuries or pollution at this time. The Sycamore, homeported in Cordova, conducts aids to navigation, search and rescue and law enforcement missions throughout Alaska. uscgnews.com

Alaska Marine Lines Inc., a Seattle-based marine transportation company whose fleet ferries supplies to Alaska, is the latest employer to be certified under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) program designed to strengthen hiring practices and combat the unlawful employment of unauthorized workers. Alaska Marine Lines is one of more than 160 employers nationwide to complete the IMAGE (ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers) certification process. IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows private industry to partner with ICE to reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents.

Western Towboat leads the way with tractor tugs. For a first-hand look at how tractor tugs are used for ocean towing on the West Coast, I took a ride on the first Titan class vessel built by Western Towboat out of Seattle, Wash. The 108-ft Western Titan was built in 1997 with stern Azimuth drives. She pulls a container barge the size of a football field on a tow line from Seattle to Skagway, Alaska, making several port calls along the way and traveling through both the inside passage and waters more open to the Pacific Ocean.

The Greenbrier Companies announced today that its Gunderson Marine division in Portland, Oregon has received orders for three oceangoing deck cargo barges valued at approximately $25 million. Coupled with other recent orders, Greenbrier's marine backlog is now valued at over $35 million, and extends into mid-2005. The first order is for a 360' deck cargo barge for Alaska Marine Lines, a Lynden Company, the third in a series of such barges it has ordered from the Company. The other two orders are 380' deck cargo barges for Naknek Barge Lines, LLC based in Seattle, Washington.

According to reports, A cargo van whose contents caught fire on a barge was still billowing smoke as the vessel was being towed to Juneau from Frederick Sound. Officials said the fire broke out in the van, which was full of solid waste being shipped on an Alaska Marine Lines barge from Sitka to the disposal site in Washington state. A firefighting tug from Petersburg and a Coast Guard cutter hosed the blaze through the night. The firefighting tug continued to spray water on the fire Tuesday morning alongside the loaded barge, the Daily Sitka Sentinel. Coast Guard Lt. Mara Booth-Miller said the AML tug and barge were diverted to Juneau. Nine containers of the 94 aboard the barge Baranof Provider caught fire while under tow by the AML tug Western Mariner, she said.

Marcon International, Inc. announced the sale of the 5,000tdw ocean deck barge Mitkof Provider from Alaska Marine Lines of Seattle, Wash., to Island Tug and Barge Co., also of Seattle. The 280’ x 60’ x 17’ barge was originally built in 1969 by Todd Shipyard, Seattle, Wash. as the “Vanliner 280” and after converted and named “Foss 280” served first as the foundation of a 221 man camp for Prudhoe Bay operations in the Arctic and later housed personnel involved in the Exxon Oil Spill Cleanup.. She was sold by Foss in the early – mid’90’s to Alaska Marine Lines who eventually removed the modular housing units and installed a new 7’ high fence and concrete deck with steel “T” beams every 42” allowing the barge to trade as a conventional flat deck barge. Island Tug and Barge Co.

The Greenbrier Companies announced today that its Gunderson Marine division in Portland, Oregon has received an order from Sause Bros. for a 100,000 barrel double-hull oceangoing oil barge. The order is the fourth in a series of barges currently on order from Sause Bros., also headquartered in Oregon. Coupled with other recent orders from Alaska Marine Lines, a Lynden company, Greenbrier's marine backlog is now valued at over $30 million, and extends into mid-2004. Gunderson, through its marine and railcar divisions, currently has over 1,100 employees, 15% of which are dedicated to marine. Gunderson is actively seeking 60 new employees due to an upturn in both the marine and railcar marketplace. The Sause Bros.

A device that increases the efficiency of barges is gaining in popularity on the West Coast, especially for Seattle to Alaska and Southeast Alaska runs. Many people report that Hydralift skegs substantially increase the efficiency of towed barges. This results in either increased towing speed or reduced fuel consumption because the horsepower required to tow at the same speed decreases. The Lynden Companies, Alaska Railbelt Marine (ARM) and Alaska Marine Lines (AML), have several barges with Hydralift skegs and another currently under construction. They are using the barges on Seattle to Alaska runs and runs within Southeast Alaska. Western Towboat Company, Inc., which does all the towing for ARM and AML, has two gravel barges with Hydralift skegs themselves.