|
Marine Resources
Recent Marine Resources News
|
|
Saltchuk News -
Marine Resources
|
|
Tuesday, 24 January 2012 17:29 |
Tug retrofitted to use patented hybrid technology
SEATTLE, January 18, 2012 — A second Foss Maritime Co. hybrid tug will soon be working the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Foss once again partnered with Aspin Kemp and Associates (AKA) to retrofit the Campbell Foss with this proven, patented hybrid technology.
The tug is the first vessel to be retrofitted with motor generators, batteries and control systems at Foss' Rainier, Ore. shipyard. The Campbell Foss will join its award-winning hybrid sister, the Carolyn Dorothy, which has been bringing cleaner air and greater fuel efficiency to Southern California communities since 2009. The launch marks another step in hybrid technology's evolution and allows Foss to provide "Green Assists" to its customers in San Pedro Bay.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are partnering with Foss to bring the second hybrid to San Pedro Bay with help from a $1 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) under the AB 118 Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP)
The Campbell Foss represents an important upgrade in hybrid and environmental technology, said Richard Cameron, head of environmental planning at the Port of Long Beach. "We believe it will build on the success of the Carolyn Dorothy, which is already proving its value here."
With intensive testing, we demonstrated that the hybrid technology in use on the first hybrid tug was very effective in reducing emissions, said Richard Corey, Deputy Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board. "We are very pleased that the Carolyn Dorothy will soon be joined in San Pedro Bay by a second hybrid using the same proven technology. Use of these proven hybrid technologies brings us one step closer to achieving our longer term goals for a zero emission freight transportation system."
Gary Faber, president and COO of Foss said, "Our company is committed to hybrid technology. We believe it is good for the environment - and for our community."
The Carolyn Dorothy was introduced in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in January of 2009 as an innovative approach to reducing air pollution. Both the Carolyn Dorothy and the Campbell Foss are designed to retain the power and maneuverability of their non-hybrid Dolphin class sister tugs, while dramatically reducing emissions, noise and fuel consumption.
This kind of public-private partnership with Foss Maritime Company will not only support the emission reduction goals of our Clean Air Action Plan, it will also further the advancement of clean technologies for operation of harbor craft everywhere, said Chris Cannon, Director of Environmental Management for the Port of Los Angeles.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Saltchuk News -
Marine Resources
|
|
Friday, 13 January 2012 05:55 |
Partnership to create jobs; bring modern vessel to vital transportation link
SEATTLE, WA, January 5, 2012- Foss Maritime Company is joining with Washington state and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to build a state-of-the-art replacement for an aging 63-year-old ferry that's been a vital cross-Columbia River transportation link.
The unique partnership between Foss and the Washington State Department of Transportation includes the Confederated Tribes whose members will participate in the vessel's final assembly work.
Gary Faber, president and COO of Foss, said the project's benefits will have a ripple effect across the state: "The Foss bid is good for the Northwest economy as it creates jobs at our shipyard near Longview and in Eastern Washington, and we'll deliver a highly efficient new ferry to serve a vital cross-Columbia transportation link."
Faber added that Foss is looking forward to working with the Confederated Tribes. He noted the company's relationship with Makah Nation on the Olympic Peninsula, where Foss maintains an emergency response towing vessel on tribal land.
Faber said, "Foss is Washington-based and we work closely with sovereign nations in Puget Sound and throughout the Northwest and Alaska - it is part of our company's heritage." Colville Tribal members are pre-approved for apprenticeships for the new ferry construction project, Faber said.
The new ferry will replace the Martha S., which launched in 1948. The Keller Ferry crosses the Columbia River at its confluence with the Sanpoil River from Ferry County and the Colville Indian Reservation on the north bank to Lincoln County on the south. Approximately 60,000 vehicles travel each year on the Keller Ferry, which is a link in a rural highway, State Route 21.
According to Foss officials, the construction will commence in early 2012 at the company's Rainier, Ore., shipyard, on the Columbia River near Longview. There, the vessel's aluminum hull and systems will be constructed and pre-fabricated, then sectioned into three modules and shipped by road transport to the final assembly site located at Crescent Bay on Lake Roosevelt. Final assembly and testing will take place at Crescent Bay beginning in fall of 2012, with vessel delivery scheduled for May 2013.
Foss will manage the Crescent Bay phase of the work, and will partner with the Confederated Tribes to do the work.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Saltchuk News -
Marine Resources
|
|
Friday, 13 January 2012 05:49 |
Foss Maritime and Aspin Kemp & Associates receive U.S. patent protection for hybrid marine propulsion and energy management system.
SEATTLE, January 5, 2012 — Foss Maritime Company and Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA) with their technology partner XeroPoint Energy, have received U.S. patent protection for their hybrid propulsion and energy management system. Foss, which owns and operates one of the largest tug and barge fleets on the U.S. West Coast, partnered with AKA, a Canadian system integrator and marine engineering company, in developing this innovative technology.
The hybrid propulsion and energy management system has been proven to significantly reduce emissions, fuel consumption and equipment maintenance for marine vessels. The award-winning hybrid technology draws energy from various sources to optimize system operations across a wide range of propulsive load demands.
Diesel engines are designed to optimally perform at or near their full load design point, said Paul Jamer, VP of Corporate Development at AKA. "However, many marine vessels operate under variable load requirements. Our system provides operators with the flexibility of a diesel electric system and the simplicity of a conventional system, without the cost or footprint of a traditional full diesel electric installation."
Foss built the first hybrid tugboat, Carolyn Dorothy, and has successfully converted a second vessel, Campbell Foss, to a hybrid at its shipyard in Rainier, Oregon. Both of these vessels use the AKA energy management system to provide Green Assists(TM) to customers in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.
The hybrid propulsion and energy management system is patented under U.S. Patent 8,062,081 and additional international patents are pending.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Saltchuk News -
Marine Resources
|
|
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 03:11 |
Jackup drilling rig successfully navigated through Cook Inlet
SEATTLE, December 7, 2011- Foss Maritime Co. tugs Justine Foss and Jeffrey Foss have completed a successful tow of a jackup drilling rig to its winter harbor in Port Graham, Alaska.
The Spartan 151 jackup drilling rig was moved from its drill site at Nikiski, in the Cook Inlet, which becomes choked with ice during the winter.
Gary Faber, president and COO of Foss Maritime, said the successful tow underscores the company's competence in navigating challenging marine environments such as the often rugged waters of the North Pacific: "Foss has decades of experience working safely and effectively in places like the Cook Inlet. Foss works in extreme environments."
Foss was contracted by Spartan Offshore, which owns the drilling rig that is chartered to Furie Operating Alaska LLC, formerly Escopeta Oil Co. The company managed the marine operations involved in getting the rig off of the drill site, which would soon be choked with ice. It was taken into Port Graham where the rig will remain for the winter.
In addition to the Justine Foss and Jeffrey Foss, Anchorage based Cook Inlet Tug and Barge's tractor tug the Stellar Wind was also engaged during this operation. The Stellar Wind was used for final positioning of the rig and provided additional maneuverability when the rig was going into Port Graham. The rig will be towed back out to the Nikiski drill site when conditions allow next spring.
Foss officials praised their crew members for the successful operation.
Leiv Lea, Foss Maritime's general manager, Northwest division, said, "Foss wishes to extend their thanks and appreciation to the Foss crews and Foss Port Captains for their outstanding work and we also thank Spartan Offshore for the opportunity to provide these services."
Oil rigs have been drilling in the upper Cook Inlet since the early 1960s. There are currently 16 platforms in operation at this time.
|
|
Saltchuk News -
Marine Resources
|
|
Saturday, 03 December 2011 19:28 |
Ships have gone two years or longer without environmental incidents, winning Chamber of Shipping honor
WASHINGTON, D.C, November 23, 2011- Sixty vessels owned by the Seattle-based Foss Maritime Company are being recognized by a major maritime organization for their standout environmental records.
The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) announced the awards honoring Foss' environmental achievements Thursday, November 17 in Washington, D.C.
Safety and the environment are the first things that our customers bring up when we talk with them, said Gary Faber, Foss's president and COO. "To be honored by the Chamber of Shipping for our environmental record is something that underscores all our efforts at Foss. It is part of our corporate culture."
U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Brian Salerno, Deputy Commandant for Operations, participated in the awards ceremony and congratulated the industry's safety and environmental record.
Joseph J. Cox, President and CEO of CSA said, "These awards celebrate the dedication to environmental excellence of our seafarers and the company personnel shore-side who operate our vessels to the highest standards. In today's world, it seems our industry only gets front-page news when spills or other environmental problems occur. It is encouraging to see how many vessels go for years achieving environmental excellence. It should be clear to the American public that we in the maritime industry take our stewardship of the marine environment very seriously."
A list of the vessels that received the 2011 Environmental Achievement Award is posted on CSA's website www.knowships.org. Click on "Press Releases".
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 9 |
|
