Foss Maritime Rolls on Columbia

Two tractor tugs added to growing river operation

PORTLAND- Foss Maritime has added two tractor tugs to its Columbia River fleet, which will give the company more resources to serve a growing customer base at regional port facilities.

The first of these 4,400-horsepower tugs will begin river operations as early as November.

Scott Merritt, Foss Maritime’s Senior Vice President, Harbor Services, said, “The two high horsepower tractor tugs are in demand on the Columbia River due to larger ships calling on the region with new terminal and upriver construction projects and business growth in a variety of sectors.”

“Foss Maritime will grow on the Columbia to meet the needs of its customers,” Merritt said.

Captain Dustin Johnson, Regional Operations Manager, Columbia Snake River, added, “Existing grain and port facilities are experiencing new levels of business – and there are several development projects along both the Columbia and the Snake that are in various stages of approval. By adding these two tractor tugs to our existing fleet we will be able to meet the needs of both existing and new customers.”

The tugs are named the Tiger 8 and Tiger 9 and were built at the Kewalo Shipyard in Honolulu, HI in 2009.

Tiger 8 will begin river work immediately upon arrival, while Tiger 9 will first be retrofitted to improve accommodations before going to work.

“The profiles of Tiger 8 and Tiger 9 compliment the existing Foss Fleet on the Columbia,” Johnson said. In addition to being 4,400 horsepower, the Tigers are 86 feet long, have a 34-foot beam and a draft of 14 feet. They have a transit speed of 12 knots and are equipped with Caterpillar 3516 Tier Two engines.

The Tigers are just the latest equipment Foss has added to its Columbia River operations. In 2012 the company stationed the pilot boat Connor Foss, built at the Rainier shipyards, in Astoria.

Said Johnson, “As the Columbia River community continues to require new equipment to service projects on the drawing board, Foss will provide the technology needed to foster the growth.”