Stay Current with Saltchuk
At Saltchuk we’re proud of the positive impact our companies are making in their respective industries and communities. Regular updates will be posted here. Media Inquiries? Contact Emily Reiter at .TOTE Services Top Leadership Position Changing Hands
January 15, 2013
MOORESTOWN, NJ – Captain Jorge Aguirre, a veteran in the maritime industry, has announced his retirement from TOTE Services after 33 years with the company.
Aguirre spent 16 years at sea, coming ashore with TOTE Services in June of 1980 as a Port Captain at the Philadelphia headquarters of the company, then known as Interocean Management Corporation or IOM. He served as Manager of Operations, then Senior Vice President and in 2001 was made President.
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Aloha Air Cargo, Family Programs Hawaii Support Children
December 22, 2012
Aloha Air Cargo and Family Programs Hawaii announced a new partnership that assists the prevention of children from entering foster care, supports children and families already involved in the foster care system, and helps youths successfully transition out of foster care.
Just in time for the holidays, Aloha Air Cargo is providing much needed monetary sponsorship and awareness for FPH’s various programs by rallying the Hawaii community around a very simple, yet powerful message, “I help kids.”
“Our goal at Family Programs Hawaii has always been to provide quality care to the children of Hawaii,” said FPH Director of Development, Connie Sizemore. “Partnering with Aloha has given us additional resources to acquire more volunteers, utilize their shipping network for movement of supplies and toys for neighbor island foster kids, and relaunch the ‘I help kids’ program shirts to spread the message of our organization.”
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World’s First and Largest LNG-Powered Containerships To Serve Puerto Rico For TOTE, Inc.
December 4, 2012
State-of-the-Art Ships to Benefit Island’s Economy, Environment
PRINCETON, NJ – TOTE, Inc. announced today it has committed to the construction of two new state-of-the-art containerships for the Puerto Rico trade, with options for three more vessels for additional domestic service. The agreement with General Dynamics NASSCO represents a major technological milestone in international shipping.
The vessels will be the most environmentally friendly containerships in the world with CO2 emissions-per-container that are 71% less than the vessels now in the Puerto Rican trade. Particulate Matter will be reduced by 99%. Sulfur oxides will be reduced by 98%. Nitrogen oxides will be reduced by 91%. The 3100 TEU vessels are expected to be the largest ships of any kind in the world powered primarily by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Both ships will be powered by dual-fuel LNG engines that greatly surpass the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s clean air regulations.
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61 Foss Maritime Company Vessels Honored for Environmental Excellence
November 19, 2012
Vessels Have Gone Two Years or Longer Without Environmental Incidents, Winning Chamber of Shipping Honor
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sixty-one tugs and tank barges owned by Foss Maritime Company have been recognized by a major maritime organization for their environmental safety records.
The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) announced the awards honoring the Seattle, WA-based Foss’ environmental achievements on November 13, 2012 in Washington, D.C.
Altogether, the 61 Foss vessels recognized by CSA have gone a combined 543 years without an environmental incident. For a handful of Foss vessels, the awards marked 20 years of operation without an environmental accident.
“When we talk with our customers, safety and the environment are the first things they bring up,” 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.”
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Foss Delivers Crucial Relief in Superstorm Sandy’s Wake
November 13, 2012
Company Applies Lessons Learned in Hati to Superstorm Sandy
SEATTLE, WA. – Even before Superstorm Sandy finished its deadly rampage on America’s East Coast, the federal government reached out to Foss Maritime Co. to provide disaster relief in devastated parts of New York and New Jersey.
The call came because officials knew of the Seattle-based company’s successful work in earthquake-torn Haiti.
The Defense Logistics Agency contacted John Tirpak, Foss’ Vice President of Marine Transportation, as communities throughout New York and New Jersey struggled to cope with the tidal surge and high winds that Sandy brought in its wake. Subways and rail lines were under water, people were trapped in homes and apartments, hospitals had no power, and vital communications centers had lost electricity.
“We knew from our work in Haiti that we had to get the necessary equipment – and the right people – to affected areas as quickly as possible,” said Tirpak. “And we knew from experience that we’d be entering a situation where chaos reigned, communication would be difficult if not impossible, and roadways would be impassable.” As a result, Tirpak designated Rob Wagoner as Incident Commander for the Sandy Relief effort due to his extensive work in the Haiti Relief effort in Port Au Prince.
Within hours Foss had relief supplies headed to New York and New Jersey. The company mobilized 26 pumps, six generators and the personnel to operate the equipment from locations across the country, trucking them to Naval Air Station Lakehurst, NJ. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers marshaled the equipment for deployment from there.
“Foss was contacted during Sandy because of the work we’d done in Haiti in partnership with the U.S. government,” said Wagoner, who helped deliver tens of thousands of tons of food and rebuild the island-nation’s main port as he oversaw company relief operations. “The Defense Logistics Agency in particular was well aware of Foss’ capabilities in the face of a natural disaster.”
Foss employees are still on duty at NAS Lakehurst, working to clean flood damage or provide electricity in communities on the Jersey Shore and New York, where nearly two weeks after the storm some services are still out.
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ABOUT FOSS MARITIME COMPANY
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. The company has harbor services and transportation operations in all major U.S. West Coast ports, including the Columbia and Snake River system. With one of the largest fleets of tugs and barges on the American West Coast, Foss operates two shipyards and offers worldwide marine transportation, emphasizing safety, environmental responsibility and high-quality service. See www.foss.com for more information.