Sakhalin Sealift Called Key to Foss Future; Super-Heavy Cargo … · June 2005 Volume 18 Issue 2 Sakhalin Sealift Called Key to Foss Future; Super-Heavy Cargo Headed for Russian Beach

Steering a course towardeastern Russia and thefuture of Foss Maritime, sixtugs and a barge left Seattlein mid-May to commenceone of the most challengingprojects ever undertaken bythe company.

In an extreme environ-ment in a remote part of theworld, Foss will use fivechartered barges to haul oilfield production modules,up to 1,600 metric tonseach, from South Korea toa landing site on Russia’sSakhalin Island.

“Oil field developmentand construction services iswhere Foss and our parentMarine Resources Group(MRG) want to take thecompany,” Project ManagerLarry Johnson said.“Our team has workedreally hard preparing forthis project, and if we aresuccessful we will probablybe the go-to contractor as far asmarine transportation is concerned.”

The project for Exxon NeftegasLimited (ENL) comes on the heals ofa smaller sealift to the Sakhalin siteperformed by Foss two years ago.Greg Manelick, project manager forENL, said his company “screened theworld” for partners to perform thisyear’s sealift and Foss came out ontop in every selection criterion.

Foss’ planning and preparation forthe sealift began shortly after conclu-sion of the 2003 effort and has includednearly everyone in the company, includ-ing marine personnel, office staff, safe-ty managers and Foss Shipyard.

About 400 employees attended asend-off barbecue for Sakhalin-boundtug crews May 13 at Foss’ headquarterson the Lake Washington Ship Canal.MRG President and CEO Paul Stevens,

who also is chairman of Foss,addressed the group.

“I just have one thing to say to youguys,” Stevens said. “You are going tosail off to Russia, and please be safe.The most important thing we can doin this job is for everyone to comehome healthy and safe. If we can dothat, then we’ve done a good job.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

June 2005

Volume 18Issue 2

Sakhalin Sealift Called Key to Foss Future;

Super-Heavy Cargo Headed for Russian Beach

Able-bodied Seaman Quentin Brown, right, and Engineer Leo Filippi, behind Brown, load sup-plies on their tug, the Howard Olsen, before its journey to the Russian Far East. Holding thebundle on the pier behind Filippi is Capt. Mark McKinley of the Kainani. The man speaking withMcKinley was not identified.

Sakhalin SealiftIn a project that could help shape thefuture of Foss, the company this springsent a fleet of tugs and dozens ofshoreside support personnel toeastern Russia to execute a majorsealift for Exxon Neftegas Limited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover

Keeping Foss on TopScott Merritt, Foss senior vice presi-dent for harbor services and regionaltowing, outlines his thoughts on keep-ing Foss at the forefront of its industrythrough a continuing emphasis onoperational excellence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .This Page

Tug Construction: Full Speed AheadThe second new tug being built at theFoss Rainier Shipyard is due to enterservice in Long Beach late this summer,and a third tug is due for completionin December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7

New Pier for San NicThe U.S. Navy recently completed con-struction of the what is believed to bethe world’s first open-ocean pier forroll-on, roll-off cargo at California’sSan Nicolas Island. Foss will use thepier for twice-monthly barge calls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 10

Community Service ProfileMarine Transportation Port EngineerDana Brodie gives back to the industryby helping young people get intomaritime careers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 16

Foss Funds Marine LabFoss took the lead in providing fundsto start a marine education lab at FortWorden in Port Townsend, Wash.Called the Foss Maritime DiscoveryLab, the facility opened in April. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 17

2 • Foss Tow Bitts • June 2005

Inside

Tow Bitts is published quarterly byFoss Maritime for Foss employees,customers and friends. Changes to theTow Bitts mailing list should be referredto the Marine Personnel office inSeattle, (206) 281-3821/3830. Tow Bittseditor is Bruce Sherman, graphicdesigner is Stacy Mutnick and coordi-nator of production is Gil Graham, FossVice President of Human Resources.

Ensuring Operational

Excellence Is the Key to the

Continuing Success of Foss

Maritime Company

For the safest, mostreliable and highestquality service, themarine transportationindustry has beencoming to FossMaritime for decades.

Foss’ brand is builton the commitment of our employees,management and owners to be the best.Continuing success depends on ourability to back up our reputation withthe operational excellence that our cus-tomers, owners, vendors and the com-munity at large expect.

The effort to maintain operationalexcellence is a continuous process hereat Foss. In that tradition, the new execu-tive team this spring called a meeting oftop managers from all of our divisionsand regions to take a fresh look at whatit will take for Foss to stay on top.

In a business where there is almostalways a certain amount of risk, mini-mizing casualties is a key to operationalexcellence. So, we started by looking atincidents and near-misses experiencedby the company over the last couple ofyears, the most recent being the ground-ing of the barge Millicoma near themouth of the Columbia River onMarch 22 (See story page 9).

Ironically, the common thread thatemerged as a cause of the incidents is aFoss employee trait usually viewed asone of our most positive — a can-doattitude. Analysis revealed, however,that the incidents probably would nothave occurred if the decision-makerhad checked that “can-do” inclinationagainst another attitude: “shouldwe do?”

How does a manager or tug captainstanding at a decision-making thresholdbalance those two notions?

In our industry, as in life, we areguided by our values. Filtering the taskat hand through our value system,should help front-line people of Foss

make decisions consistent with our“best-in-the business” reputation.

We don’t, of course, want a captainsearching through a handbook whiledeciding whether to seek a safe harborin a storm. We want them to beguided by a clear value system. Atour meetings this spring, we cameup with a number of core values fordiscussion purposes.

• We put the safety of people first.Foss must never put people or equip-

ment unduly at risk. Our employees,customers, vendors and the public musttrust us to operate in a manner that putstheir safety and well-being at the fore-front of everything we do. We will notdo things just because other companiesdo. Our work practices must be thesafest in the industry.

• We protect the environment.Our customers and the public need to

know that Foss deserves their trust withregard to the environment. We mustensure that moving oil with Foss is thesafest way to move oil in the industry.

• We maintain a quality workenvironment.

Foss will maintain a work environ-ment that attracts the best people, andwe must protect that environment byfostering good treatment of our employ-ees, good working relationships amongthem, and by ensuring that our man-agers have well-developed interpersonalskills. In the words of Mike Garvey,Chairman of SaltChuk, “We must striveto be a company we would want ourchildren to work for.”

• We will not compromise our ethicsnor violate any rule, law or regulationin pursuit of our goals.

We will be able to pass our grand-mother’s blush test in all we do and howwe do it. Our credibility is one of ourgreatest attributes.

• We are stewards of our owners’resources.

Often, this stewardship meansmaking decisions that will deliverreturns to our owners. Sometimes, how-ever, we must take actions that protectthose resources at the expense of thebottom line.

Lines By Scott Merritt,Sr. Vice PresidentHarbor Services &Regional Towing

June 2005 • Foss Tow Bitts • 3

These values are by no meanswritten in stone. Since our manage-ment meetings, Vice President ofOperations Bruce Reed has beentraveling through our operatingregions to get input from employeesand there will surely be changes.As the owners of OperationalExcellence it is essential that theemployees’ core values are alignedwith those of the company.

In the meantime, also underBruce’s guidance, we will be addingemphasis to other areas to maintainoperational excellence, such asimplementation of ISO quality stan-dards and our behavior-based safetyprogram. Our vessels also are beingcertified under the InternationalManagement Code for the SafeOperations of Ships and for PollutionPrevention (ISM).

There are no shortcuts to excellence.We will do — and spend — what ittakes to keep Foss at the top of theindustry. Of that, you can be sure.

Foss Going to Employees for

Ideas on Maintaining Excellence

Lifting A Song

The Foss 300 derricklifts the whale-watchingvessel Orca Song intothe Lake WashingtonShip Canal March 7after the vessel waspainted and underwentother routine mainte-nance and engine workat Foss Shipyard inSeattle. The 150-passen-ger, 64-foot vessel, oper-ated by Mosquito Fleet,runs tours from Everett,Wash., through the SanJuan Islands. ShipRepair SuperintendentLou Schaefer super-vised the work.

As part of a continuing effortto maintain operational excellence,Operations Vice President BruceReed is meeting with employees atall Foss locations to solicit their ideason what it will take to keep the com-pany at the top of the marine trans-portation services business.

Reed held a brainstorming sessionwith marine and other employees inSeattle in May and planned meetingslater in Portland, San Francisco andLong Beach.

“We previously discussed this at themanagement level,” said Reed, refer-ring to a session convened by ScottMerritt, senior vice president for har-bor services and regional towing. “ButI felt a need to solicit input from alarger and more diverse group.”

Reed explained that the meetingswould include a discussion of whyoperational excellence is importantto the company and what’s at riskif it isn’t maintained. The groups alsowill review casualties, looking forcommon issues, common causes,and working with the area groupson solutions.

“My hope is that we will come upwith three or four key items that willbe common across all group inputthat we can work on as a company,”Reed said.

In a broader sense, Reed said,“We will have opinions from a broadcross-section of Foss employees ofwhat operational excellence meansand what we can do in the future toachieve it.”

contract with ENL, Mammoet willmove the modules another 14 kilome-ters from the landing port to the oildevelopment site.

The North Pacific weather will beone of the main complicating factors ofthe effort, as the Chayvo harbor is fullyexposed to the ocean. A breakwater isunder construction and expected to becompleted by late summer, when thedanger of typhoons increases.

Marine Operations ManagerCapt. Herb Gazeley said hebelieved the crews will be up tothe challenge.

“Some of this is ocean towing,and we do a lot of that,” he said.“But this is the most ambitioussealift ever to go into an oceanbeach and discharge modules. Wehave a great team, without adoubt, not only in talent but inattitude and adaptability.”

The remoteness of the oildevelopment site also has beenand will continue to be a chal-lenge, Chayvo is about 100 milesaway from the nearest village.It is a 16 hour train ride fromYuzhno, on the south end ofthe island.

“It’s really hard to getpeople in there,” Johnson said.“Express freight takes twoweeks, if you’re lucky, so we’rebringing everything we thinkwe might need.”


Eastern Russia

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The line-haul tugs on the project arethe Emma Foss, Drew Foss, LaurenFoss, and Howard Olsen. The tugsDavid Foss and Kainani, the lattertransferred from sister companyHawaiian Tug & Barge, will work asassist tugs.

The assist tugs will be stationedin Chayvo, the unloading port onSakhalin Island, while the line-haulvessels will haul the modules fromtheir construction site in Ulsan, SouthKorea, to Chayvo. The round tripbetween Ulsan and Chayvo will takeabout 21 days.

Hyundai Heavy Industries is themodule manufacturer and will loadthe barges.

Of the five chartered barges, fourwere under construction in Indonesia.The contract with ENL calls for Foss todeliver 36 modules, with 24 scheduledto move this summer and the remainderto go next year.

In addition to the modules, Foss wasto move about 500 containers of cargofrom Ulsan to Chayvo.

Foss also is under contract to dredgethe landing site at Chayvo, creating a

pad where the barges will be ballasteddown and grounded for safe unloadingof the super-heavy modules to the pier.A suction dredge was aboard the equip-ment barge Marmac 12 when it leftSeattle May 21.

Heavy-lift specialist Mammoet,under subcontract to Foss, willdischarge the modules from the bargeto the laydown area at the dockfacility in Chayvo. Under a separate

Rigger Terry Dawley uses a forklift to load an anchor onto the Kainani (ex-Catherine Foss) asthe Sakhalin fleet prepared to depart from Seattle in mid-May.

Greg Manelick, Exxon Neftegas project manager, said his company “screened theworld” for sealift partners, and Foss came out on top.


Faber Leads Sealift

Management Team

Key Foss managers involved inplanning and executing the 2005sealift to Sakhalin Island includeExecutive Vice President for MarineTransportation and Global ServicesGary Faber, who has overallresponsibility forthe project.

Larry Johnson,director of interna-tional operationsand joint ventures,is responsible forthe project on aday-to-day basis.

Other key man-agers are Joe Noverr, safetymanager, Leiv Lea, contract manag-er, Dmitry Klimko, general directorfor Foss business in Russia, DonCollar, project manager in Chayvo,and Alexei Krasnev, regulatorycompliance officer.

Also, Ben Warner, interfacewith Exxon Neftegas Limited, ScottNewall, responsible for ballastingoperations in Ulsan, Al Warner,ballasting in Chayvo, Capt. HerbGazeley, vessel operations manager,Jeff Schmidt, port engineer, JimWilcox, dredging operations, andIrina Bryabrina, office managerin Yuzhno.

Getting the fleet ready for thissummer’s Sakhalin Island sealift wasa major effort for Foss Shipyard,involving all workers in every craftfor a total of 9,300 hours.

Production Manager Don Hoge,who led the project, said crewsworked on all six tugs (Drew Foss,Lauren Foss, David Foss, Emma Foss,Kainani and Howard Olsen) beforethey departed for the Russian FarEast. The shipyard also loaded thebarge Marmac 12 with dredging gear,containers and equipment to be usedon the job.

Key personnel working with Hogewere superintendents Danny Gipson,Lou Schaefer and Greg Schaut.Engineering and Project ManagerGisli Olafsson planned and super-

Among the many shipyard workers who contributed to the fleet-preparation effortwas this group loading the barge Marmac 12 the day before departure to Russia.They are: front row, Dennis Wiltshire, left, and Alan Kulstad; second row, JohnBrix and Kwang Park; third row, Ron Becker and Bob Thomas (both seated),Harlan Nitchman and Tom Faehnrich (coveralls); back row, Steve Osberg (incab), Jim Stutz, Greg Manertz, Steve Black, Jeremiah Buerow, Brian Johnson,Steve Hiltner and Gisli Olafsson.

Shipyard Spends 9,300 Hours

Readying Sakhalin Island Fleet

vised the barge loading, and the FossTerminal crew assisted with the Foss300 derrick and a mobile yard crane.

The tug requiring the most effortwas the Kainani (former CatherineFoss), transferred from sister compa-ny Hawaiian Tug & Barge. Hoge saidthe yard “basically went through theboat,” including replacing steel,cleaning fuel tanks, and overhaulingthe engines, watertight integrity, sand-blasting and painting.

On the Lauren Foss, the yard over-hauled fenders and rigging, wentthrough the crane certificationprocess and worked on electrical sys-tems. Minor repairs were performedon the Drew, Emma, Howard Olsenand David Foss. Tow wires on all ves-sels were inspected and refurbished.

Gary Faber

Dealing with a complex regulatoryenvironment also was a hurdle,according to Johnson, who noted,“We had to comply with a whole bodyof regulations from the U.S., Japan,Korea and Russia . . . and Exxon’sguidelines are pretty exhaustivein themselves.”

The day before departure, deck offi-cers were attending classes on how torecognize and respond to marine mam-mals migrating through the waters theywould transit.

Ensuring that passports and visaswere in order for Foss’ approximately70 marine and shoreside personnelalso was a big task. ExecutiveAssistant Colleen Liman made

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6


Thirty-four deck officers, engi-neers. cooks and hands are manningthe six Foss tugs working this sum-mer in Korea and the Russian FarEast. They are:

Lauren Foss. Capt. Nate Collar,Mate Jeff Coxwell, Engineer JimGreenlund, Able-Bodied SeamenBob Wingle and Peter Roney andCook Warren Lamberton.

Emma Foss. Capt. Andy Schwartz,

Gathered on the deck of the Lauren Foss before its departure from Seattle were, from left, Chief Engineer Steve Lunn, whohelped get the boat ready, and crewmembers Capt. Nate Collar, Chief Engineer Jim Greenland, Mate Jeff Coxwell, CookWarren Lamberton and Able-Bodied Seamen Bob Wingle and Peter Roney.

Foss Assigns 34 Mariners to its Sealift Fleet;

Six Tugs Crossing Pacific for Oil Field Project

Mate Tim Spencer, Engineer LarryHickman, Able-Bodied Seamen BradAro and Craig Gilmore and CookSteve Harshman.

Drew Foss. Capt. Brad Ragnone,Mate Steve Kearney, Engineer ChadAlton, Able-Bodied Seamen EricJensen and Pat Breshears and CookChris Cory.

David Foss. Capt. Gary May, MatePat Kerns, Engineer John Wade, Able-

arrangements for about 22 shoresideand dredge personnel, while MarinePersonnel Supervisor Ray Friis had toget about 30 passports.

All entering Russia had toundergo HIV testing, and in orderto obtain visas, “letters of invitation”

Eastern Russia

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

had to be submitted to theRussian embassy.

“It was quite a process,” Limansaid. I didn’t realize it would beso challenging.”

Merridith Chumbley, health andsafety coordinator, worked with Limanon medical surveillance requirements.

At an orientation session formarine employees held before thedeparture, Executive Vice President

for Marine Transportation and GlobalServices Gary Faber said employees“will have to rely on every ounce ofour experience, ingenuity and energyto succeed.”

Safety, he said, is the first priority.“If we deliver 100 percent of the

cargo on time and on budget, but oneperson gets hurt, we have failed,” Faberdeclared. “There is no room for failure.This project is our future.”

Bodied Seaman Chuck Lott andCook Mark Phillips.

Kainani. Capt. Mark McKinley,Mate Frank Huber, Engineer JackHagey, Able-Bodied Seaman DavidFloyd and Cook Chris Miller.

Howard Olsen. Capt. RobertFarrell, Mate Greg Johnson,Engineer Leo Filippi, Able-BodiedSeamen Dan McGrath and QuentinBrown and Cook Barry Butler.


Rainier’s Second New Tug Nears Completion,

To Begin Service in Long Beach This Summer

It was full-speed ahead for the new-vessel construction program at FossRainier Shipyard in Oregon this spring,with the second new tug scheduled tobe finished in late August and the thirddue for completion in December.

The second boat is to head for Fossoperations in Long Beach this summer,following delivery of the first tug, theMikioi, to Foss sister companyHawaiian Tug & Barge Young Brothersin the summer of 2004.

Foss has not announced a name forthe Long Beach boat, which will bemore powerful than the Mikioi, at 5,000horsepower compared to 4,730.

The Z-drives and propellers also willbe slightly bigger on the second boat,said Hap Richards, new constructionmanager. Rolls-Royce is building theZ-drives for the new boat, and theengines are coming from Caterpillar.

Unlike the Mikioi, the second boatalso will be equipped with a sternwinch for barge handling and a biggerbow winch with higher line speed and awarping head. Also, the new tug hasstaterooms in the bow, where theMikioi has a void.

Richards noted that the entire super-structure of the Long-Beach-bound boatwas fabricated on the ground beforebeing joined with the hull.

“Just think of all the stairs you save bydoing it on the ground,” Richards said.“The workers can get in there much moreeasily, do their work and save time.”

In late April, 18 people were at workon the Rainier yard’s construction pro-gram. Another four workers were sched-uled to be added by June 1, accordingto Richards.

The superstructure of Dolphin II, in topphoto, was fabricated on the groundbefore being mounted on the hull. Inbottom photo, the hull of the secondnew tug nicknamed “Dolphin II,” isturned over after fabrication at FossRainier Shipyard.

Hap

Rich

ards

Pho

tos


Virtual Duwamish

Foss Capt. Dave Corrie drives a tug with a barge in tow down the DuwamishWaterway in a simulator at the Pacific Maritime Institute in Seattle. Captains ChrisSauer, Kris Sek and Bob Bezona joined Corrie in being the first to test and makerecommendations for improvement to the computerized “full-bridge” simulator.With Corrie in this photo is Capt. Jim Demske of Baltimore-based Vane Brothers.

Foss is set to commence its 16thannual lighterage operation in July at theRed Dog Mine in the Alaskan Arctic.Four tugs and two specialized lighteringbarges, the Kivalina and Noatak, depart-ed from Seattle in mid-June and areexpected to return by early fall.

Bob Fellows, Red Dog project man-ager, said both barges were drydocked inpreparation for this year’s season, duringwhich Foss hopes to load ore in volumessimilar to last year’s, when 1.36 milliontons was transferred from the shallow-water mine port to 24 bulk carriers.

“We’re looking forward to a safeand successful season,” Fellows saidthis spring.

Members of the barge team include:Maintenance Supervisor Travis

Barrett, Mill Wright PatrickThornton, Electrician Stan Tidymanand Office Dispatcher, Cole Brodie.

Kivalina Crew. Barge SupervisorDon Daigle, Mechanic Brett Walker,Loader Operators Neftali Alas andJohn Little, Laborers Josh Swan, CarlHorten and Chad Imhoff and LoadSuperintendent Mike Miller.

Noatak Crew. Barge Supervisor BobRowan, Mechanic Bogdan Fetsek,Loader Operators Ed Goebel and DaveBetz, Laborers Jason Hagey, JeremyWeller and Lowell Ramoth and LoadSuperintendent Ken Defrancesco.

Third Barge Crew. Barge SupervisorRoger Fallon, Mechanic John Routh,Loader Operators Chris Tarteand Calvin Clark, Laborer WynnDavis and Load SuperintendentRicky Sockpick.

Initial crews on the tugs are:Iver Foss. Capt. Todd Wilson, Mate

Nathan Jansma, Able-Bodied SeamenAndrew Warfield and Steve Winterand Cook Greg Rankin.

Sandra Foss. Capt. Jeff Crooks,Mate Mark Bechtel, Engineer MikeDenton, Able-Bodied Seamen GlenMcVicker and Jason Hudkins,Ordinary Seaman Nathan Impson andCook Doug Bender.

Stacey Foss. Capt. Doug Engdahl,Mate Dave Black, Engineer DaveAtkins, Able-Bodied Seamen Nathan

Nelson and Chris Mack Jr., OrdinarySeaman Steve Creech and CookHugo Padilla.

Jeffrey Foss. Capt. Lars Hadland,Mate Troy Irving, Engineer Jeff

Foss Launches 16th Season at Red Dog Mine;

Aims to Match 2004 Lightering Production

Durette, Able-Bodied Seamen DonGarrett, and Tom Gray and CookJason Esposito.

Rovers. Capt. Jack Finney andMate Jay Justus.

A grizzly bear roams the beach as a bulk carrier stands by offshore at the Red DogMine Port in this August 2002 photo.


Big Sub Bumpers

Foss hauled two 20-ton fenders from Tacoma to the U.S. Navy’s submarine base atBangor on Hood Canal in late March for installation on a pier being refitted byGeneral Construction Co. Jesse Engineering Co. of Tacoma built the giant fenders,and they were loaded on to the Foss barge Beach Bear, above, on two heavy-liftcrawlers operated by Shaughenessy & Co. At Bangor, each fender was lifted bytwo cranes, below, and the barge was towed out from under them. The Emma Fosshandled the tow.

A quick response helped assure thesuccessful salvage of an oil barge withempty cargo tanks that broke loosewhile being towed across the ColumbiaBar by the Foss tug Howard OlsenMarch 19.

Foss set up a command center inSeattle within hours of the incidentand the next day moved the center toSeaview, Wash., not far from wherethe barge Millicoma was agroundin a narrow cove near the mouthof the river.

Although it wasn’t carrying cargo,Millicoma did have several thousandgallons of diesel oil in its double-hulledfuel tank. No oil escaped, however, andthe barge was refloated March 23.

“The quick and effective responseand team salvage effort minimized thepotential for pollution,” said BruceReed, Foss operations vice president.“If the barge had broken apart, thepotential for oil pollution would havebeen much greater.”

Gary Faber, executive vicepresident for marine transportationand global services, was incident com-mander, assisted by Salvage MasterMick Leitz of Fred Devine Diving andSalvage of Portland. Paul Gallagher ofFoss was the operations section chief,and Jim Peschel was planning officer.

Mike Sutton, director of safetyand health, was safety officer. ScottMerritt, senior vice president for har-bor services and regional towing, wasincident commander during the earlystages of the response.

Successful Salvage

Job Reported

Following Columbia

Bar Mishap

SatisfactionGuaranteed

Each day, you either get better orworse. The choice is yours.

— From “Satisfaction Guaranteed”By Byrd Baggett


The safety and reliability of theFoss barge service to the U.S. NavalStation on San Nicolas Island hasbeen substantially improved with com-pletion of what is believed to be theworld’s first open-ocean roll-on roll-off pier.

The Navy spent about $12 millionto build the new pier, tailored specifi-cally to handle the Foss ramp bargePT&S 379. The 178-by-50-foot bargemakes twice monthly cargo trips withthe Edith Foss to the island base about60 miles west of Santa Barbara, Calif.

The cargo previously was rolled offthe barge onto an awkward deck support-ed by pontoons. The operation was some-times challenging, when tides, weatherand swell conditions weren’t cooperating.

The new structure includes a pierwith a cargo-receiving deck that can beraised and lowered through a range ofabout 19 feet. The entire structure,including a series of dolphins for secur-ing the barge, is about 640 feet long.

Foss Southern California MarineOperations Manager Wendell Koi (sincepromoted to PNW regional director)

said barge modifications to enabledocking at the new pier included addi-tion of high-strength bits on the deck,a hydraulic line tensioner and winches,a large fender where the transom meetsthe pier and modifications to the ramp.

The Long Beach-based ramp bargeand the Edith Foss carry all manner ofcargo, from Port Hueneme to supportthe Navy’s operations on the nine-by-four-mile island, used as a radar track-ing station. The base also has a10,000-foot runway and is known asan “outlying landing field.”

‘World’s First’ Open-Ocean RoRo Terminal

Built for Foss Service to San Nicolas Island

The Foss Barge PT&S 379 discharges cargo at San Nicolas Island’s new pier.


Foss brought a high-speed, 130-footwork boat into service in southernCalifornia this spring as a tender forChevron crude oil lightering operations,scheduled up to twice a week, 40 to 300miles offshore.

The contract to perform the workintroduces a new line of business forFoss and represents an expansion of itslongstanding relationship with Chevron,for which Foss already providesescorts, ship assists, transportationand other services.

Concurrent to the startup of the off-shore tender work, Foss also hasreached an agreement with Chevron toprovide a launch service for tankersanchored in or near the LosAngeles/Long Beach harbor. This serv-ice will be operated by Foss sister com-pany Gulf Caribe Maritime, whichalready has a launch service at the ElSegundo Moorings, and managed byDebbie Parrish.

Southern California Superintendentof Lightering Operations PaulHendriks said the company was

looking for a 60- to 65-foot boat for thelaunch work.

The offshore lightering operationsinvolve transfers from “very large crudecarriers” (VLCCs) and “ultra largecrude carriers” (ULCCs) to smallertankers for transportation to Chevronrefineries at El Segundo near LosAngeles and Richmond on SanFrancisco Bay.

Foss’ support vessel, purchasedin the Gulf of Mexico, has a large aftdeck and has been retrofitted for spill

response. It carries 2,000 feet of oceanboom, a skimming device and is outfit-ted to deploy oil dispersant.

The vessel will carry Chevron ligh-tering masters, other personnel, equip-ment and supplies to and from thelighterage areas.

Foss also will maintain the“Yokohama fenders,” 16 feet in diame-ter and 36 feet long, used to separatethe ships during the offshore transfers.

Five lightering engineers have beenhired by Foss to maintain the fendersand other mooring equipment. CaptainHendriks has been brought on board tomanage the new business with Chevron.

Existing Foss marine employees ded-icated to the new business are:

Mate Joe Mayer, Mate Jeff White,Engineer Tom Summers, EngineerAlison Williams, Ordinary SeamanSteven Phifer and Ordinary SeamanVincent Pereira.

Newly hired employees include:Foreman Mike Howerton, Troy Jones,Terry Roland, Jeramie Verhelst andJames Cauvier.

New Support Operation for Chevron Will

Take Foss Boat up to 300 Miles Offshore

Foss is using this vessel, the GulfMiracle, as a tender for Chevron’soffshore lighterage operations.

Valdez Bound

The tug Halle Fossdeparts from PortlandMay 2, towing the bargeSeattle to Valdez, Alaska,with a load of missiledefense cargo. Foss madetwo of the eight-day tripsto Valdez this springwith the containerizedshipments, ultimatelybound for Fort Greeley,near Fairbanks.Additional trips werescheduled for August andSeptember. Members ofthe Halle’s Crew on theMay voyage were:Captain Ray Freel, MateScotty Parker, deckhand/engineers Brian Dodgeand Ben Hartly and cookRobbie Ackerman. Do

nna

Ilg P

hoto


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Capt. Yoshikatsu Yonezawa,Vice President Operations forSanko Kisen (Canada) Ltd., fromVancouver, B.C. , left, watchesthe races from the Wedell Fosswith Matt Brown, Foss PNWsales manager, center, andFoss Capt. Bill Archer.

Rob Campbell of TransmarineNavigation Corp. in Seattleand wife Sunshine relax onthe Wedell Foss as sonDeacon snoozes.

The Pacific Explorer performsfor the crowd lining theSeattle shoreline.

The Jeffrey Foss, foreground,sprints to the finish in the ClassA race. The Wedell Foss is inthe background.

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Mik

e St

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os

A Day at

The RacesFoss once again produced a

strong turnout for Seattle’s annualtugboat races and waterfront paradeMay 14, with six tugs participating.The racing boats were the JeffreyFoss, which finished fourth in ClassA, the Wedell Foss, sixth in Class A,the Pacific Explorer, seventh inClass A, and the Shelley Foss,fifth in Class B.

The photos:


5

6

Don

Wils

on, P

ort o

f Sea

ttle

Phot

o

Members of the winning Fossteam in the Survival Suit Race,held as part of the festivities,included, from left, KeithGoodmansen, ocean cook,Jason Hudkins, ocean able-bodied seaman, Ray Friis,marine personnel supervisorwho helped coordinate theteam, Marcel Ion, ocean train-ing mate, and Nate Impson,ocean ordinary seaman.

Employees and guests wavefrom the Jeffrey Foss, one ofthis year’s racing tugs.

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6


Amid a storm of controversy thathas surrounded construction of thenew east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Foss has beenquietly hauling support sectionstwice a week from their fabricationsite in Stockton, 70 miles to thebridge site.

Although Foss has played no role inthe controversy — which has seen thecost of the 2.2-mile span increase from$2.6 billion to $6.9 billion — Bay Area

Foss Hauls Support Sections Quietly, Safely

As Controversy Swirls around new Bay Bridge

Regional Director Tim Engle says thesituation has made for a challengingwork environment.

“Because of the overruns, problemswith the design and other challengesfaced by the project, this is an environ-ment that tolerates no mis-steps,”Engle said.

He said that as of late May, Fossworkers “to their credit” had made78 safe round trips to Stockton, oftenin difficult tide, current and traffic

conditions, “and we are determined totriple that number before the retrofitis completed.”

Foss is in the second year of a threeyear, fixed-cost contract to transport theroadway sections.

Two years ago, the company partici-pated in a similar project, lighteringprefabricated roadway sections from aheavy lift ship to the site of a newbridge over Carquinez Strait at the northend of San Francisco Bay.

The Foss tugs Richard M, ahead, and Anna, pushing, move a bridge section under the Carquinez Strait Bridge.

Bob

Greg

ory

Phot

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The former home of Foss in LongBeach, Barge 1, has found new life onSan Francisco Bay.

The surplus U.S. Army barge, whichhad housed the Long Beach officessince shortly after World War II, wastowed north last September and sincehas undergone extensive renovations

Crews ran new electrical and phonelines to the dock at Foss Headquartersin Richmond, fabricated new fenderingand anchoring to secure the barge,adjusted some interior walls, installednew carpet, and prepped and paintedthe inside.

Bay Area Regional Director TimEngle said his team is now “settled inand enjoying its new digs.”

“Those of us who now call Barge 1home thank the SoCal team for theircontribution to the Bay,” Engle said.

While in Army service, the bargeserved as a floating support facility forfleet operations. It included a gun shop,welding shop, a small brig and livingquarters. The hull is made of concrete. Barge 1 was photographed recently at its new berth on San Francisco Bay.

Foss Barge 1 Finds New Home on the Bay;

SF Team Settling in after Remodeling Project

security officer in Portland, saidemployees had been asked to be onthe lookout for suspicious personssince someone cut through the fenceseveral months ago. Nothing wasfound to have beenmissing after theprevious incident.

Coincidentally,Sanborn said,employees recentlyreceived securitytraining as part ofthe company’s com-pliance with newHomeland Security regulations.

“Our three guys are very savvy, andthey would have approached these guysregardless,” Sanborn said. “It’s whatthey would do, but nonetheless, theyhad been trained, and they tookappropriate action.”

Three alert employees foiled whatlooked like a theft attempt at FossPortland headquarters on the morningof April 8, confronting a couple of sus-pects who were apparently trying tosteal a shore-power cable.

Mechanic Mitch Wilson andDeckhand Christian Meyer approachedand questioned the suspects, whosaid they were fix-ing a tire on theirpickup truck, parkedoutside the chain-link security fenceprotecting theFoss yard.

One of them washolding a tire iron.

But Wilson noticedthe shore-power cable for the bargeSeattle in the back of the truck and pre-sumed that the men also planned to

steal numerous other wires and strapsthat were strung part-way throughthe fence.

Meyer left tocall 911 and report-ed the truck’slicense number,which had beenwritten in the morn-ing dew on a parkedcar, while Wilsonstalled the suspects.When the alleged thieves drove off,with one very low tire, mechanicAndy Van Curen tailed them todetermine their direction and helppolice find them.

The two men were stopped by policeand arrested a few minutes later onnearby Germantown Road.

Harbor Services Manager StuSanborn, who doubles as deputy

Andrew Van Curen

Christian Meyer

Mitch Wilson

Alert Employees Stymie Looters in Portland


The towboating and maritime indus-tries have been good to the Brodie fami-ly, and Dana Brodie,marine transportationport engineer for Fossin Seattle, believes ingiving back.

His father Jackspent 25 years atCrowley Maritime,rising to become vicepresident of internation-al operations. DanaBrodie’s brother Jaye isa Foss engineer, andson Cole is a dispatcherfor Foss at Red Dog in Alaska.

“It’s an industry we’ve enjoyed, and Ithink it’s important to return somethingto it,” said the 16-year veteran of Foss.

For Brodie, 50, that means focusingon ways to help young people get intothe maritime industry.

Port Engineer Focuses on Introducing Young

People to Towing and Maritime Industries

Dana Brodie focuses his community service efforts on helping young people get into the maritime industry.

Whenever a scout troop or a groupof students visits Foss, Brodie is likely

to be leading the tour.Six years ago,

seeing the disappear-ance of entry-levelopportunities, he imple-mented an engineer-training program atFoss that has placedthree people in jobsand will soon graduatea fourth.

And for the last14 years, Brodie hasbeen on the technical

advisory board of Seattle MaritimeAcademy, a one-year program operatedby Seattle Community College onthe Lake Washington Ship Canalnear Foss.

The board, which also includesrepresentatives of other towboating

companies, fishing companiesand marine vendors, reviews thecurriculum for the program, whichtrains people for both deck andengineroom positions.

Board members also mentorstudents, help them find jobs andraise money for the school. Brodie,for one, is planning to spearheadestablishment of a $2,000 annualscholarship in memory of longtimefriend and Crowley engineerDon Munroe.

“I like helping the underdog,” hesaid, noting that there’s nothing moreimportant for companies like Foss thanfinding and training qualified peoplefor jobs on the boats.

“If you don’t have people to runthose boats, you have no company,” hesaid. “And if the wheels don’t turn andthe lights don’t burn, we don’t makea dime.”

“If you don’t have

people to run those

boats, you have no

company. And if the

wheels don’t turn and

the lights don’t burn,

we don’t make a dime.”

— Dana Brodie

Community Service Profile


Foss Provides Lead Funding to Marine Lab

For Educational Projects in Port Townsend

The Foss Maritime Discovery Labon April 9 became the latest additionto the Port Townsend Marine ScienceCenter’s education facilities onPuget Sound.

The lab, for which Foss providedlead funding, will be used by kidsand adults for research, environmentalmonitoring and other marine-relatedprojects run in collaborationwith regional scientists andother laboratories.

Foss Human Resources VicePresident Gil Graham, who wasamong those from the companyattending the opening ceremonies,said Foss hoped the lab would helpthe center continue to be “anoutstanding model for scienceeducation excellence.”

Anne Murphy, center executivedirector, said the lab was “a dreamwe’ve been planning and refining forseveral years.”

“It’s the only lab that we’re awareof in western Washington where stu-dents and community members haveaccess to such a wide array ofresearch tools,” she said.

The equipment at the facility willenable such projects as analyzingwater samples, conducting shrimp-tagging studies and growing babymollusks from seed.

The Port Townsend Marine ScienceCenter is a non-profit organizationfounded in 1982 by volunteers dedi-cated to education, interpretation andpreservation of the marine environ-ment. It is on the beach at FortWorden State Park.

At the opening of the Foss Maritime Discovery Lab in Port Townsend above, werefrom left, Gil Graham, Foss vice president for human resources, Joe Langjahr,vice president and general counsel of Foss parent Marine Resources Group, AnneMurphy, Marine Science Center executive director, Cinamon Moffett, curator andaquarist for the marine exhibit and lab, and Scott Merritt, Foss senior vice presi-dent for harbor services and regional towing.

In photo at right, Libby Palmer, aneducator at the Marine ScienceCenter, handles a shrimp and workswith kids at the Foss MaritimeDiscovery Lab. Observing on the farright is Joe Langjahr, vice presidentand general counsel of Foss parentMarine Resources Group. The womanin front of Langjahr is Ann Graham,wife of Foss Human Resources VicePresident Gil Graham.


Bonnie Shaffer will neverforget her first experience with apersonal computer.

It was the late 1970s, and Fossbought the clunky box for the companythat was its parent at the time,Dillingham Corp. of Hawaii. Shafferand her co-workers would key budgetinformation into the computer, put it ina box and take it to the Post Office.

“We’d mail it to Portland orSacramento, and everyone would puttheir budget in and then mail it toHawaii,” Shaffer recalled. “Timessure have changed.”

Shaffer retired from Foss at theend of April, three months short of her34th anniversary with the company.Raised in rural Montana, she joinedFoss fresh out of technical school,planning to return to her home stateafter a year or so.

But Shaffer never looked back.“It was a good match, obviously,”

Shaffer Helped to Usher in the Era of Computers;

Saw Technology Become an ‘Integral Part’ of Foss

she said shortly before her last day.“I’m leaving behind a big piece of mylife, and the people here. People arewhat Foss is all about.”

Shaffer was a key player during aperiod of exhausting technologicalevolution at Foss and in the rest of thebusiness world. From an era of punchcards (also boxed and sent to Hawaii) tothe mailed-around PC, she workedthrough years that also saw the inven-tion and proliferation of the Internet andput a networked PC on every desk.

Today, the eight-person InformationTechnology Department, led by CraigCampbell, supports 250 PCs, plus com-puters on each of the company’s 40 ves-sels. They also take care of about 150cell phones, satellite phones andBlackberry wireless communicatorsand Personal Digital Assistants.

“Technology has evolved intobeing a very integral part of the Fossoperation.” Shaffer said. “It’s a key

element of our competitiveness.Having a computer or a cell phone islike having a pen or pencil at yourdesk, and it needs to work andbe reliable.”

People skills and a knack for prob-lem solving have served her well,according to Shaffer, who notes, “That’swhere I shine.”

An avid traveler, golfer, cross-country skier and fitness enthusiast,Shaffer married for the first time fiveyears ago to Puget Sound Pilot JimShaffer. He spent 20 years with Fossand left as a captain 13 years ago.Jim’s brother Dave is captain of theGarth Foss.

While she left Foss reluctantly,Bonnie Shaffer was looking forward tothe opportunities of retirement.

“I want to do some other things,perhaps some volunteer work,” she said.“Whatever it’s going to be, I know it’sgoing to be something with people.”

Bonnie Shaffer works on a laptop computer in the pilot house of the enhanced tractor tug Lindsey Foss.

In an innovative approach to aheavy-duty transportation job onthe Columbia and Snake rivers,Foss used two grain barges latelast winter to float and tow anenormous steel guide way formigrating salmon.

“Weirs,” as the guide ways arecalled, facilitate downstreamjuvenile salmon migration byenabling the fish to enter, nearthe river’s surface, spillways thatcarry them safely around dams.

The weir moved by Foss fromPortland to the Ice Harbor Damnear Pasco was 105 feet tall, 70feet wide and weighed 1.7 mil-lion pounds. The tow totaledabout 232 miles, according toColumbia-Snake River PortCaptain Mike Walker.

Foss began the job by loadingthe weir onto the ocean bargeMarmac 12 at Thompson MetalFabricators in Vancouver, Wash.The barge and its cargo were thentaken into a drydock at CascadeGeneral Shipyard at the Port ofPortland, where the drydock was low-ered and the barge was sunk.

Walker explained that the two grainbarges were then brought into the dry-dock side-by-side, the weir was attachedto the ends of the barges with a hingedspreader bar, and then the weir wasfloated off the Marmac 12 and out intothe river.

With the Foss tug Clarkston pushingand the Noydena pulling, the barges andweir were towed up river and above theIce Harbor dam.

“Here, we set up rigging, ballastedthe weir, assisted the divers positioningthe weir into its permanent position andthen cut the barges loose,” Walker said.

Execution of the job was planned bymarine architect Thomas Dyer, who hashad plenty of experience working withFoss. He was a supervisor at the Fossshipyard in Seattle from 1976 to 1984.

“Tom was a true professional towork with, and I enjoyed demonstratingto him that the “Always Ready” attitudeis still going strong,” Walker said. “I


Grain Barges Used to Float 1.7 Million-Pound

Load 232 miles up Columbia and Snake Rivers

think Tom knew he was in good handsafter he saw how hard-working and ded-icated the crews assisting him were.”

Crewmembers on the Clarkstonwere: First crew, Captains MikeEllsworth and Dan Mullican, withDeckhands Leonard Haglund, RossWilson, and Nathan Haglund. Secondcrew, Captains Doug Cody and Mike

The Foss tug Noydena pulls the spillway weir up the Snake River toward Ice Harbor Dam, withthe Clarkston pushing.

Mik

e W

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Hays, with Deckhands Bob Vollmer,and B.J. Lyngstad.

Crewmembers on the Noydena were:First crew, Captains Don Gustafsonand Terry Hicks, with DeckhandsMike Davis and David Lee. Secondcrew, Captains Dan Mullican and DaneHoward, with Deckhands Matt Daveyand Ken Aman.

Two Foss ocean-going tugs headedfor warmer climes during the winterof 2005, the Stacey Foss workingfor a sister company in Hawaii andthe Iver Foss pitching in for Foss’Southern California group.

The Stacey was under the com-mand of Capt. Steve Robertson, whohas long experience in Hawaiianwaters. The tug served on the inter-island runs operated by Hawaiian Tug& Barge Young Brothers, standing in

for the Hoku Ke’a, which underwent arefit at Foss Shipyard in Seattle. (Seephoto, page 21.)

The Iver spent the winter helpingwith the growing workload in the LosAngeles/Long Beach harbor.

On the return trip to Seattle, the Ivermoved the bunkering barge Foss 248-P3from Long Beach to San Francisco Bay,and returned the bunkering barge Dusk,which had been on long-term charter onthe Bay, to its owners in Seattle.

Ocean Tugs Head South

For the Winter of 2005


By Jacoba Charles

The historic tugboat Arthur Foss,owned and managed by NorthwestSeaport, is on schedule to return toactive service.

The 116-year-old boat is a vibrantpart of Northwest history, with an 80-year career as a working tug. It hasserved as a “teaching tool and a floatingmuseum” since 1968, when Foss donat-ed the retired boat to the NorthwestSeaport. One of the oldest tugboats stillin existence, the boat is a designatedNational Historic Landmark.

Restoration efforts by the ArthurFoss Ship’s Council and dedicated vol-unteers have been helped by recentgrants and private donations. “Weshould get operational for the first timesince 2000 by this fall, or next spring atthe latest,” says Ship’s Council Chairand Board member David Black.

In an exciting approach to reachingthis goal, a diesel engine theory andrepair class is being taught aboard theArthur Foss beginning in June. In thisclass, students will gain hands-onexperience with an antique dieselengine, learning basic diesel theory

Exciting Opportunities Aboard the Arthur Foss;

Old Tug Being Returned to Operating Condition

while overhauling the valves on the1934 Washington Iron Works engine.

Diesel engine mechanic AdrianLipp developed the program as a wayto “combine expert ship repairs witheducational possibilities for interestedmembers of the public.” He describes itas a program that he is excited to seeapplied to all aspects of ship repairand maintenance.

The class will be taught by antiquediesel engine specialists Lipp and DanGrinstead. Local heavy-duty dieselexpert Grinstead is an outside contrac-tor for the Thea Foss, and was firstemployed by the Foss company in 1975.“This program has the potential to keepan interest in old machinery alive forpeople who are younger than me” saysGrinstead. “These old engines in Arthuror Thea are quiet, and interesting tolook at, but they do require more main-tenance and more specialized skills.”

In order to become fully operational,the Arthur Foss needs repairs to itsengine, rubrails, exterior paint, and por-tions of the hull beneath the ironbarksheathing. Private donations haveenabled the engine repairs and thediesel theory class.

The tug Arthur Foss, owned by non-profit Northwest Seaport, on Puget Sound.

Last year, much-needed deckrepair was accomplished through a$150,000 grant from the NationalPark Service’s Save-America’sTreasures program. “Fundraising isan ongoing effort,” Black reports.“It’s a constant struggle to maintainold boats, to preserve and restorethem, particularly with wooden ships.The NPS grant was a big boost, butwe need more help.”

The six-member Arthur Foss ship’scouncil consists of Black, Lipp, LoisJerden, Dave Clute, and Jana and JoeDuBois (who met as Arthur Foss volun-teers). They host regular Saturday workparties for volunteers, and welcome newmembers of all skill levels.

Anyone interested in the diesel enginetheory class may contact Lipp at OldTacoma Marine, (206) 898-7012. Peopleinterested in becoming a NorthwestSeaport board member, volunteering, ormaking a donation should contact theorganization at (206) 447-9800.

Editor’s Note: The writer, JacobaCharles, is a volunteer worker forNorthwest Seaport.


Forty Years at Foss

Foss Seattle employees on March 3held a cake-and-soft-drink gatheringto help Marine Personnel SupervisorNorm Manly, center, celebrate his40th anniversary at the company.Photographed with Manly were SteveScalzo, left, former Foss presidentand now chief operating officer of itsparent company Marine ResourcesGroup (MRG) and Paul Stevens, Fosschairman and president of MRG.

Foss will be pitching in to assistthe Tall Ships Tacoma festival thissummer, providing tug services andloaning sponsors about 1,000 feet oflog boom where hundreds of pleas-ure vessels will tie up to view aparade of sailing vessels.

The festival, scheduled for June30 to July 5, could be the largestevent ever staged in Tacoma.Sponsors are preparing for a floodof as many as 400,000 peopleexpected on the city’s waterfront toview about 20 tall ships and joinassociated activities.

John Lewis, Foss senior cus-tomer service coordinator inTacoma, said the company will pro-vide tugs to position about 600 feetof floats for tall ship moorage adja-cent to the Working WaterfrontMaritime Museum on the TheaFoss Waterway.

The floats were obtained for thefestival by independent tug operatorRobin Patterson.

The log boom provided by Fosswill be fixed to anchors set off theOld Town area by the Tacoma ParksDepartment, according to Lewis.

Foss Helping

Tacoma Stage

Huge Festival

for Tall Ships

Hawaiian Wheel

Rigger Foreman Jim Mosman hoists a new propeller into place on the tug HokuKe’a, owned by Foss sister company Hawaiian Tug & Barge Young Brothers, based inHonolulu. A three-month re-fit was completed at Foss’ Seattle shipyard May 5, andincluded addition of Nautican high-performance fixed nozzles, skewed propellers andtriple-vaned “shutter” rudders. Partially visible behind the propeller is DanielAmundson, who was assisting Mosman.

Injuries

Spills

• Recordable injuries are injuries requiringmedical treatment.• Lost-time injuries are injuries whichcause a worker to miss time on the job.

• Spills reported are those occurring duringoil cargo transfers.• A spill is defined as any spilled materialthat produces a visible sheen on the water.

2003 2004 2005

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Rate of recordable injuries per 100 workers, per year

2005

2004

2003

IndustryAverage

Lost-Time InjuriesRecordable Injuries

1 0 1


Spotlight on

Safety

Tow Bitts recently was named winnerof a “Tranny Award” in a nationalcompetition sponsored by the

Transportation Marketing andCommunications Association.

The newsletter, published quarterlyby Foss, was one of just threewinners of “awards of excel-lence” in the publications cate-gory of the competition amongmarketing and communicationsprofessionals in the freight orpassenger transit industries.

Gil Graham, Foss vice pres-ident for human resources, iscoordinator of production forTow Bitts. ShermanCommunications assists Fosswith production of the newslet-ter, with Bruce Sherman serv-ing as editor and StacyMutnick overseeing designand printing.

One of the other two Trannyawards of excellence in publica-tions went to another Seattle-based company, SSA Marine,for its Tides quarterly newsletter.Sherman Communications alsoassists SSA Marine with Tides.

The other award ofexcellence in the publications

category went to New Jersey Transit.Winners of awards of merit wereMaryland Transit Administration,Averitt Express, Freightliner LLC,Norfolk Southern Corp., PBB GlobalLogistics, Port Authority of NewYork/New Jersey, Port Freeport,Regional Transportation Authority, TNTLogistics, and Tri-Met.

There were a record 207 entries in10 categories in this year’s Trannyaward competition, for work and proj-ects completed in 2004, The awardswere presented at a banquet May 3 inNaples, Fla.

Tow Bitts Wins National Award of Excellence

From Transportation Marketing Association

A new security system wasinstalled this spring at Foss Shipyardwith the aim of creating a controlledsafety environment and improving theprotection of customers’ vessels.

The system creates a secureperimeter of fencing and gates aroundthe six-acre shipyard and terminalarea. Workers, customers and vendorsmust now use a single entry on thesouth side of the yard manned by asecurity attendant in a new shack.

Shipyards Director Jim Stewartsaid the idea for the enhanced securi-

New Entry System at Shipyard

Enhances Safety and Security

ty system originated at committeemeetings held in conjunction with thecompany’s behavioral safety program,implemented in 2003.

“One thing that stood out inthe very beginning was that if wedidn’t have control of peoplecoming and going in the yard, itwas going to be difficult to controlsome of the safety issues in thiswork environment,” Stewart said.“The only way we could do that wasto control access, and that’s whatwe’ve done.”

Foss was one of only three top winners in thepublications category.


People News

NEW EMPLOYEES

Mark CarlsenCustomer Service Representative,SF Bay

Randy ClarkController

Jim PeschelMarine Quality Assurance Manager

Christopher RheaAssistant Dredge Superintendent,SF Bay

Monty RoySteel Shop Foreman, SeattleShipyard

PROMOTIONS

Lori BilesBuyer to Purchasing Supervisor

Dan EddlestonCustomer Service Representativeto Marine TransportationSupervisor, SF Bay

Wendell KoiMarine Operations Manager,Long Beach to PNWRegional Director

Jeannie LouieIntern, Billing Department toAssistant Buyer

David OtterbachTraining/Cargo Mate to ChiefMate, Marine Transportation

Bruce ReedVice President, Administration &Quality Assurance to VicePresident, Operations

Andy Schwartz Chief Mate to Captain, MarineTransportation

Vance StanleyLeadman, Seattle Shipyard toForeman, Outside Machine Shop,Seattle Shipyard

Steve WinterOrdinary Seaman to Able-BodiedSeaman, Marine Transportation

PASSINGS

George BenedictRetired Deckhand/Engineer, PNW

Jack BlantonRetired Captain, PNW

George PoechhackerRetired Mate, PNW

Suzanne Van OverPetroleum Coordinator, Long Beach

The Foss Executive SafetyCommittee provides a means forany employee to take issues straightto the decision makers at the top ofthe company.

Made up of seven executives, thecommittee addresses safety issues thathave not been resolved at a lower level,require a high-level decision, or arecompany-wide in nature.

For example, the committeerecently ordered the purchase andinstallation of Automated ExternalDefibrillators (AED’s) for all vesselsand offices.

“These lifesaving devices are anexample of the commitment to thesafety and well being of our employ-ees,” said Mike Sutton, director ofsafety and health.

Sutton said the committee helps Fossmeet its operational excellence goals.The committee also aligns Foss with therequirements for vessel certificationunder ISM, which stands forInternational Management Code for

the Safe Operation of Ships and forPollution Prevention.

“This committee allows us to bemore responsive to our internal cus-tomers,” Sutton said. “When someonecomes to the committee with an issue,they are dealing with the decision mak-ers, and they can walk out with a deci-sion on the spot.”

Members of the committee areSteve Scalzo, chief operating officer ofFoss parent Marine Resources Group,

No Red Tape for Foss Employees Who Take

Issues to the Executive Safety Committee

Gary Faber, executive vice presidentfor marine transportation and globalservices, Scott Merritt, senior vicepresident for harbor services andregional towing, Bruce Reed, vicepresident for operations, AndyStephens, vice president forshipyards, engineering and projectmanagement, Frank Williamson,general counsel, Gil Graham,vice president for human resources,and Sutton.

Twenty-Five Year Clock

Columbia Snake River RegionSenior Payroll Clerk Dianne Farrierand corporate Payroll SupervisorBob Wilkinson display a wall clockpresented to Farrier to observe her25th anniversary with Foss and itspredecessor companies in Portland.Portland employees held a cake-and-coffee gathering for Farrier, andmaintenance personnel gave her twogiant-geranium hanging baskets.

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDSEATTLE, WA

PERMIT NO. 15551660 W. Ewing St.Seattle, WA 98119

‘Abe’ Comes Home

The enhanced tractor tug Garth Foss, center, and super tractor Wedell Foss, on the bow, assisted the aircraft carrierUSS Abraham Lincoln into its berth at the Everett, Wash., Naval Base on March 4. The carrier and its crew of nearly 3,500were returning to their home port after a mission of mercy in the Indian Ocean helping victims of the earthquake-generatedtsunamis that devastated the region late last year.

Pete

r Mei

sner

Pho

to

Documents

Sakhalin Sealift Called Key to Foss Future; Super-Heavy Cargo … · June 2005 Volume 18 Issue 2 Sakhalin Sealift Called Key to Foss Future; Super-Heavy Cargo Headed for Russian Beach