Foss Maritime specializes in delivering cargo to some of the most remote areas of the world.

After more than 100 years in business, Foss Maritime Co. has become a company that doesn't shy away from complicated and difficult projects. In fact, it welcomes the challenge.

The company is one of the premier tug and barge companies doing remote site deliveries and one of the two largest tugboat companies on the West Coast, says Senior Vice President Don McElroy.

Foss Maritime focuses on both harbor services and ocean towing projects. The harbor services, located along the West Coast, include tug assist, tanker escorting, regional towing and bunkering, while the ocean division, which McElroy runs, works throughout the Pacific and at various other locations worldwide. The company operates two shipyards and marine repair facilities that split their customers between in-house tugboat needs and commercial vessels.

“We are one of the preeminent marine transportation companies on the West Coast,” McElroy says. “We serve customers in San Diego, L.A., Long Beach Harbor, San Francisco Bay, Portland and the Columbia and Snake River systems, and here in Puget Sound, including tankers in and out of the refineries in North Sound.”

The company offers ocean contract towing and project cargo work on a global basis. McElroy says Foss' projects are wide ranging. “Our major area of focus and success are projects in remote areas,” he explains. “These projects involve very challenging operational issues such as ice, weather, over-the-beach deliveries and hostile environments. We just wrapped up a major three-year project in the Russian Far East. Another team is involved in the ongoing Red Dog Mine in the Arctic Circle.”

McElroy says the company is seeing more projects in remote areas. “That's where the oil and gas is [and] where the precious metals are,” he says. “Remote areas present significant operational and logistical challenges, which is what we do very well. We are able to provide all the support to safely deliver equipment and cargo into remote and difficult areas. It's a major focus of the business, and will continue as we move forward and grow.

“There are issues like shallow water that force us to deliver over the beach,” he adds. “Occasionally, we have to deal with ice, heavy winds and strong currents in the north Pacific Ocean, up in Alaska and the Russian Far East, and we face these challenges on a daily basis. For more than 75 years, we have operated our equipment into some remote areas. In those remote places, there are no lifelines, no convenience stores, no facilities. So you have to supply your operation completely [with] equipment that will enable the job to get done quickly and safely.”

McElroy says the company sees a bright future ahead and will continue to focus on remote projects as this area continues to grow. “We all know how much focus there is in the world on oil exploration,” he says. “The same thing is true of various commodities and precious metals in the world. We are currently working with our existing customers that have many oil and gas exploration and mining projects in the planning stages, and we're providing a full range of marine logistics services to those projects.”

Foss Maritime prides itself on operational excellence and focuses heavily on its trained marine personnel, he says. “We pride ourselves on the fact that we have experienced mariners who can get these difficult jobs done, focusing on safety and the environment. We are committed to being good citizens.” E+P