News

Foss Maritime Assists USNS Mercy into Port

March 27, 2020

Naval Hospital Ship Arrives in The Port of Los Angeles to Offer Aid During National Pandemic Crisis

PORT OF LOS ANGELES, CA – Foss Maritime was proud to assist the Military Sealift Command Hospital Ship USNS Mercy this morning into the Port of Los Angeles.

At 0730 hours this morning Foss Tugs Alta June, Bo Brusco, and Arthur Foss, along with Foss Sister Company AMNAV providing the tug Patricia Ann, met the USNS Mercy at the port’s “Angels Gate” entrance. The tugs escorted her to a security sweep location before finally assisting her into the Port of Los Angeles Berth 93, where she will remain for the foreseeable future. The vessel was declared “All Fast” to the dock at 0930 hours.

“Foss is proud and honored to assist this important vessel into port,” said Paul Hendriks, General Manager of the Foss Southern California Office said. “Leading the way was Captains John Strunk, Ryan San Jose, Stan Sato and Drew Kerlee (AMNAV), who have a combined 85 years of experience providing safe operations in the harbor.”

Foss Maritime has a long history of service to U.S. Government agencies in time of national crises, including FEMA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), U.S. Transcom, SDDC and USAID. The Foss “Always Safe. Always Ready.” motto has been called upon often over the past decade with response and service efforts following the Haiti Earthquake in 2010 (food aid and port reconstruction), Hurricane Sandy in 2012 (operating pumps and generators) and Hurricanes Maria and Erma in Puerto Rico in 2017 (utility truck delivery and deployment of three accommodation vessels).

“While we are happy to see the USNS Mercy docked at the port ready to serve, we hope her stay is a short one which would indicate that the medical crisis is subsiding and the shoreside medical community can care for those impacted by the COVID‐19 virus” said Hendriks. “The medical assistance the USNS Mercy has provided to impoverished communities around the world for the past 45 years has been nothing but life changing for the tens of thousands of patients they’ve treated. She is truly a beacon of hope.”

ABOUT FOSS MARITIME

Founded in 1889, Seattle-based Foss Maritime offers a complete range of maritime services and project management to customers across the Pacific Rim, Europe, South America and around the globe. Foss has one of the largest fleets of tugs and barges on the American West Coast. The company has harbor services and transportation operations in all major U.S. West Coast ports, including the Columbia and Snake River system, Hawaii and Alaska. Foss operates a full service shipyard in Seattle and offers worldwide marine transportation, emphasizing safety, environmental responsibility and high-quality service. See www.foss.com for more information.

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Growth Streak Continues in Alaska

March 12, 2020

CITB adds versatile shallow-draft tug ideal for Arctic coastline

CITB is Alaska’s Tug & Barge Company

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA– Cook Inlet Tug and Barge (CITB) is adding an immensely versatile shallow draft tugboat, the Bristol Wind, to its fleet in mid-April. The uniquely designed tug will join her sister vessel, the Capt. Frank Moody, in support of the construction, and oil and gas industries’ remote cargo transportation needs along the Arctic coastline.

“Drawing just 3.2 feet, the Bristol Wind is uniquely designed to operate efficiently as a coastal tug. She has the unique ability to lighten the draft when water depths are extremely shallow – allowing her to safely service river and coastal locations that would otherwise be unreachable by conventional tugs,” said Michael O’Shea, Senior Director of Business Development and Planning at Cook Inlet Tug & Barge. “She will safely support projects throughout Alaska.”

Founded in 1924 as the Anderson & Son’s Transportation Company based in Seward, Cook Inlet Tug & Barge is committed to its Alaska roots. “We don’t call ourselves ‘Alaska’s tug & barge company’ without reason,” said Jeff Johnson, president of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge.

The Bristol Wind will join the CITB fleet in April.

With the addition of the Bristol Wind, Cook Inlet Tug & Barge’s fleet has grown to 11 vessels, five of which have joined the fleet in the last 16 months.

“We’re growing our fleet to meet increasing opportunity in Alaska. These investments reconfirm Cook Inlet Tug and Barge’s 96-year commitment to Alaska’s economy,” said Johnson.

The Bristol Wind will be homeported in Anchorage and repainted with the recognizable blue and white colors of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge.

ABOUT COOK INLET TUG & BARGE 
Founded in Alaska in 1924, Cook Inlet Tug & Barge is a marine transportation company, specializing in harbor services and fuel distribution, with focus on the Port of Anchorage and Cook Inlet, Seward, Southeast Alaska, Aleutian Islands, the North Slope, and Western Alaska.

Hiring for the summer season has begun! Openings for Vessel Masters, Mates, Engineers and Able Seamen/Tankermen available for 4-8 month rotational positions starting in April. For more information, visit http://www.cookinlettug.com/careers.

Foss Maritime Christens New Tier 4 Tug

March 3, 2020

The new 90-ton Jamie Ann tugboat features the lowest emission engines and most advanced safety features in the world

The Jamie Ann is slated to arrive mid-March to in San Francisco where she will join Foss Maritime’s Harbor Services fleet.

SEATTLE, WA – Foss Maritime christened the Jamie Ann on February 29, the first of four new ASD-90 tugs under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Freeland, Wash. Her three sisters: the Sarah Averick, the Leisa Florence, and the Rachael Allen are due to deliver this year for service within the Saltchuk Marine family of companies.

Jamie Ann’s upgrades include two MTU Tier 4 engines producing 6,866 horsepower which meet the EPA’s highest standards. The engines reduce particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions to near zero through an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system but are also powerful enough to escort the largest tankers and container ships calling the U.S. West Coast ports she will serve.

The Jamie Ann is slated to arrive mid-March to in San Francisco where she will join Foss Maritime’s Harbor Services fleet.

The vessel’s namesake, Jamie Ann Goldberg, the daughter of Saltchuk co-founder Fred Goldberg, addressed the crowd gathered at Nichols Brothers last weekend to christen the vessel. Also pictured: David Pearson, Clergy; Gavin Higgins, CEO Nichols Brothers; Janic Trepanier, Naval Architect and Project Manager, Foss.

“We’re building these vessels to the most stringent emissions standards in the world,” said Janic Trepanier, the Foss naval architect managing the project. “These were built to satisfy the requirements of the State of California – requirements we believe will soon be required of the rest of the country and the world.”

The vessel’s upgraded safety features are equally impressive and focus on crew safety on deck, wheelhouse visibility, winch operations and sound abatement in the engine room and staterooms.

The Jamie Anne christening sparks excitement over her slated mid-March deployment to Foss Harbor Services in San Francisco Bay where she will provide tanker escort and assists for Foss Maritime’s Oil and Gas customers.

Founded on the Tacoma waterfront in 1889, Seattle based Foss Maritime is a full-service Maritime Services company providing customer focused solutions within the harbors we operate and the complex towing projects we execute around the world.

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ABOUT FOSS MARITIME
Founded in 1889, Seattle-based Foss Maritime offers a complete range of maritime services and project management to customers across the Pacific Rim, Europe, South America and around the globe. Foss has one of the largest fleets of tugs and barges on the American West Coast. The company has harbor services and transportation operations in all major U.S. West Coast ports, including the Columbia and Snake River system, Hawaii and Alaska. Foss operates a full-service shipyard and offers worldwide marine transportation, emphasizing safety, environmental responsibility and high-quality service. See www.foss.com for more information.

Young Brothers Selects Jay Ana as New President

December 9, 2019

YB alumnus will rejoin the inter-island tug and barge company in January 2020

HONOLULU, HI – Young Brothers, LLC (YB) today announced that Jay Ana will serve as President of the company, effective Jan. 6, 2020. Ana, who previously served as YB’s Director of Accounting & Finance, will rejoin the company and report to Paul Stevens, who has been named Chairman after serving as Interim-President since July 2019.

Ana, a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, has spent more than 20 years as a finance leader in Hawai‘i’s business community. He joined Young Brothers in 2014 and during his tenure, he was instrumental in driving operational improvements in finance, creating efficiency, improving service quality, and securing investments for the company.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead Young Brothers at such an important time,” said Jay Ana, incoming president of Young Brothers. “We have important work ahead of us in the coming year to drive efficiencies and achieve rates that allow us to continue to provide the robust, critical services that Hawai‘i residents and local businesses depend on.”

Ana, a CPA, started his career with KPMG, where he helped manage KPMG’s Honolulu office. After more than a dozen years in public accounting, Ana became the Area Controller for Securitas Security Services, where he managed the accounting and finance functions for the 2,500-person statewide office. Ana most recently served as SVP, CFO for Advantage Webco Hawaii.

“Jay brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to lead the Young Brothers’ organization into its next chapter,” said Paul Stevens, interim president of Young Brothers. “YB is at a critical juncture in its 114-year history, and we are fortunate to have Jay’s leadership as we work to bring YB back to health, ensuring YB continues to provide the islands with reliable, dedicated inter-island cargo services for generations to come.”

Earlier this year, YB announced it had filed an application with the Public Utilities Commission, proposing an increase in rates to address rising costs and decreasing cargo volumes. Young Brothers plays a vital role in Hawai‘i as the water carrier responsible for transporting all cargo that originates and ends in the state. It is also the only water carrier to serve all islands, including Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i, and to transport all types of cargo.

About Young Brothers

Young Brothers, with approximately 370 employees across the state, has served Hawaii since 1900. Young Brothers is a publicly regulated water carrier providing 12 weekly port calls from Honolulu to the state’s neighbor island ports, including Hilo, Kawaihae, Kahului, Kaumalapau, Kaunakakai, and Nāwiliwili. For more information, visit www.youngbrothershawaii.com.

Young Brothers Names Industry-Veteran Paul Stevens Interim President

July 26, 2019

HONOLULU, HI – Shipping industry-veteran Paul Stevens has been named the interim-president of Young Brothers, LLC (YB), following the resignation of Joseph Boivin, Jr., who has served in the role since January 2018.

Stevens brings more than 40 years of experience in the maritime industry, spending 27 years with Matson, Inc. before joining Foss, YB’s parent company in 2003. Since retiring as President & CEO of Foss in 2017, Stevens has remained close, serving as a YB board member and Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Saltchuk, Foss’s parent company.

“I’m humbled and proud to lead this legacy company that touches every family across the Hawai’i’s diverse communities,” said Paul Stevens, interim-president of Young Brothers. “I look forward to supporting the outstanding men and women of Young Brothers as they work to deliver exemplary service to our customers, move Hawai’i’s economy forward and improve the lives of local residents.”

“We appreciate Joe’s commitment to the company and he leaves with our gratitude and aloha,” Stevens added.

Serving the state since 1900, YB’s commitment to Hawai’i is stronger than ever. The company plays a critical role in Hawai’i as the water carrier responsible for transporting all cargo that originates and ends in the state. To meet the needs of the neighbor island communities, YB operates 12 regular sailings per week to every major port in Hawai’i and is the only water carrier serving all islands, including Moloka’i and Lāna’i.

Since 1999, Young Brothers has invested more than $180 million in new vessels and shoreside equipment. Between 2007 and 2010, four new large 11,700-ton capacity barges, as well as a 5,600-ton multi-deck roll-on/roll-off barge for vehicle transportation were added to YB’s fleet. With nine tugboats and eight barges, YB conducts over 1,250 interisland voyages per year.

In mid-2018 the first of four new 6,000 horsepower, Tier-4, 123-foot American-built tugs began entering service. The more than $80 million investment in new tugs will reduce the average age of YB’s tug fleet to 12 years from 44 years, which will increase the company’s operational efficiency, reduce emissions and improve supply chain reliability.