Page 30: of Marine News Magazine (December 2014)

MARINE RESPONSEmessenger line to hoist a synthetic emergency towline and chaÞ ng gear onboard. The Simushir crew made that fast on their bow and then the Barbara Foss connected her surge gear and towline into the other end of the synthetic emergency towline. In this case, they did not use an Or- ville hook, an emergency tow retrieval device. Coordinat- ing with the CCG and SimushirÕs crew, the Barbara Foss began its rescue journey using the Outside route around the North Side of Haidi Gwaii so as to sail with the pre- vailing weather. By Sunday, Gary Faber, Senior Vice President of Foss Maritime, was able to report, ÒWeÕve been working very closely with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Joint Res- cue Coordination Center to successfully manage this situ- ation. At this point, the ship is riding well behind the tug, and the weather and sea conditions are not posing con- cerns. We expect a steady and uneventful voyage to Prince Rupert.Ó And, he was right. It took a more than a day to tow the crippled freighter to Prince Rupert but the two vessels arrived there on Monday, October 20. Response Trumps Salvage: experience counts The Simushir incident was far from the Þ rst time that the Barbara Foss and Foss Maritime have found a solution to a tricky problem. Arguably Ð and especially in this region Ð it would be hard to Þ nd a private company better suited to saving the day. Foss resources, particularly in the PaciÞ c Northwest, are substantial, with 200 multi-missioned tugs and barges. Saltchuk Resources, FossÕs marine holding and support company, also based in the PaciÞ c Northwest, has $2 billion in assets in several business groups, including deep water shipping logistics; ship management; tug and barge operations; fuel distribution; trucking and air cargo. Foss tug crews also have plenty of experience preventing oil spills. The Washington State rescue tug contract was once fulÞ lled by the Barbara Foss itself. The state of Wash- ington requires that vessel to be capable of, Òrapidly assist- ing vessels with propulsion and steering failures, structural casualties, Þ res and other problems. It can also escort high risk vessels, provide a lifesaving and spill response deploy- ment platform during major casualties, and assist dur-Barbara Foss and SimushirBarbara FossDecember 201430 MNMN Dec14 Layout 18-31.indd 30MN Dec14 Layout 18-31.indd 3011/25/2014 10:23:47 AM11/25/2014 10:23:47 AM