Posts Categorized: Marine Services
Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Expand North Slope Operations
July 16, 2019
Newly acquired assets start work for the season in Prudhoe Bay
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Cook Inlet Tug & Barge (CITB), an independently managed subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company, announced today 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 are ideally suited for work on the North Slope waterways and the Western Alaska markets.”
The three newly acquired tugs include the Sag Wind, the Kuparuk Wind, and the Kavik Wind, each of which are 64 feet long, 27 feet wide, and with a very shallow draft of only 3.4 feet. They are each powered by three 1095 HP CAT 343D engines.
“The ice-free season in Prudhoe Bay is short, so we’re glad to have such capable vessels available there to support the oil and gas industry as well as construction activities on the North Slope,” said Johnson. “These versatile workhorses help round out Cook Inlet and Foss operations in Alaska.”
This resident equipment and existing trained mariners on the North Slope operations further expand CITB and Foss operations in the Arctic, and complements our harbor towage, oil and gas support services, mining and construction support, and offshore marine transportation services.
Foss Welcomes New Chief Financial Officer
June 5, 2019
SEATTLE, WA – Foss Maritime Company announced today that former Vice President of Finance at Esterline Technologies, Mike Welch, has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Welch will lead the company’s financial functions and performance while supporting the 
organization’s long-range strategic goals.
Prior to joining Foss, in his role as Vice President of Finance at Esterline Control & Communication Systems, he oversaw the financial performance of five business units, managing roughly $350M in sales. He led a team of nearly 40 people including five direct reports. In his fifteen years with Esterline Welch took on numerous roles. As the VP of Finance, he helped develop and implement new strategies and programs, resulting in improved profitability.
“I’m really looking forward to having Mike on our team,” said John Parrott, President and CEO of Foss Maritime. “We were impressed with his work at Esterline and are excited to have him on board.”
Welch started his career in public accounting at a firm in Detroit, Michigan – his home state. He relocated to Washington in 2002 and joined Washington Mutual as a Senior Analyst, then transitioned to Esterline in 2004.
Along with a commitment to safeguarding company financials while building and supporting strong teams, he is also focused on operating with the customer in mind. “It is important that we all focus on adding value for our customers. The finance team and myself are committed to supporting our customers, both internal and external, with high quality work and drive for continuous improvement,” Welch said.
He went on to add, “I felt strongly that Foss shared these values and would be a great place to work. I’m excited for this opportunity.”
Foss Maritime Arrives in Puerto Rico with Hundreds of Utility Trucks to Help Restore Power Grid
January 29, 2018
The shipment, from a coalition of 19 U.S. electric companies, included bucket trucks, line trucks, pickups, aerial lifts, CAT skid-steer loaders, digger derricks, and pull trailers. More than 1,000 line workers and other personnel from participating electric companies have flown in to meet the trucks and start work supporting the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to restore power.
Foss made the voyage from the Port of Virginia in Norfolk and the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana to Ponce, Puerto Rico safely, in under two weeks, with five barges and two ocean-going tugs.
“It’s been an amazing collaboration between Foss and the utility companies to help restore the power grid in Puerto Rico,” said Capt. Peter Roney, Project Manager for Foss, “A lot of people are still without power, so we’re glad that we have the crews and vessels at the ready to help deliver these much needed resources to the island.”
In addition to the company’s latest project shipping utility trucks, Foss has been working in conjunction with Government agencies in support of relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for several months.
Under contract with FEMA, Foss arrived at the island on October 19, 2017 with three accommodation vessels, an ocean-going tug and more than 100 personnel, to provide warm meals and “floating hotels” for hundreds of first responders, including workers from the U.S. Department of Defense, FEMA and AmeriCorps. The company has also been contracted shipped a load of power equipment and three loads of water to the island.
Foss vessels remain in the region to assist as needed through continuing recovery efforts.
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Photos by Alvin Toro.
Foss Announces New Chief Financial Officer
January 12, 2018
New leader brings years of experience to role
SEATTLE- Bryceon Sumner has joined Foss Maritime as Chief Financial Officer. In his new role at Foss, Sumner will oversee all aspects of the organization’s financial function and performance with an eye toward the company’s long-range strategic goals.
Sumner brings to the role years of experience as a leader in creating smart, straightforward financial strategies for a number of organizations ranging from education technology and real estate, to architecture and financial services.
“Bryceon is a strategic leader with a track record of successfully leading companies’ financial functions through periods of growth and change,” said John Parrott, President and CEO of Foss Maritime. “His financial leadership experience will be a key component of Foss’ success as we continue forward and grow our service lines.”
Prior to joining Foss, Sumner served as COO and CFO for public and private companies, family offices and as a senior financial officer of a $60 billion government banking insurance fund. Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer of Academic Partnerships, a Dallas-based educational technology provider focused on developing online classroom tools for nonprofit colleges and universities.
Sumner’s strong background and expertise in the areas of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, operations and as a certified public accountant has helped provide valuable leadership and support to many companies and boards. He began his career at Ernst & Young working on several IPOs, including a banking tech IPO that was later sold for $3.9 billion.
“I’m thrilled to join Foss in this CFO role and I think my experience in a number of different industries will bring a unique perspective to Foss,” said Sumner. “The maritime industry is fascinating to me and I’m looking forward to learning and growing with the knowledgeable leaders at Foss, to help strengthen our finances and support the important work we are doing.”
Sumner graduated from the University of Georgia with a BBA in accounting and the University of Texas at Austin with an MPA in accounting.
Foss Maritime Ships Hundreds of Utility Trucks to Help Restore Power in Puerto Rico
January 4, 2018
5 Barges Head Out This Weekend on 10-Day Voyage
SEATTLE, Wash. – At the Port of Virginia in Norfolk and the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana, Foss Maritime is loading hundreds of utility trucks onto barges bound for Puerto Rico this week. It’s all part of the on-going effort to restore power to nearly half of the population who are without electricity.
Last Friday, Ricardo Rosselló, governor of Puerto Rico, announced that 1.5 million Puerto Ricans are still without power 100 days after Hurricane Maria hit Sept. 20. As part of the on-going power restoration effort, Foss is working with a coalition of 19 U.S. electric companies to deliver between 500 and 600 utility trucks, including bucket trucks, line trucks, pickups, aerial lifts, CAT skid-steer loaders, digger derricks, and pull trailers.
The electric companies are members of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) that have pledged mutual assistance to support the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to restore power throughout the island.
The voyage from the U.S. mainland to Port of Ponce in Puerto Rico will take roughly ten days, with the trucks scheduled to arrive between January 16 and January 18. Hundreds of line workers and other personnel from participating electric companies will fly to meet the trucks and work on restoring power.
“This movement of hundreds of utility trucks is part of a comprehensive mobilization effort to get needed equipment to the island so utility crews can begin restoring power for the people of Puerto Rico,” said Will Roberts, Foss Chief Commercial Officer. “Foss is proud to be part of those efforts and continues to be at the ready as needs arise.”
In addition to the company’s current project shipping utility trucks, Foss has been helping support relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for several months.
Under contract with FEMA, Foss arrived at the island on October 19, 2017 with three accommodation vessels, an ocean-going tug and more than 100 personnel to provide warm meals and “floating hotels” for hundreds of first responders, including workers from the U.S. Department of Defense, FEMA and AmeriCorps. The company has also shipped a load of power equipment and three loads of water to the island.
Foss vessels remain in the region to assist as needed through continuing recovery efforts.