Page 14: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2015)

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Pro? le

Caitlin M. Ness

Project Manager,

Foss Maritime Company

By Joseph Keefe or Caitlin Ness of Foss Maritime Company, the journey place. Today, she says, there are a thousand reasons to work to a career in the maritime industry started well prior to on the waterfront, but ultimately, it’s the fascinating array of

F her entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy. Growing up people that she meets on a daily basis that keep her looking in the San Juan Islands in Washington State, being near the out to sea. “Everyone has a story and whether it’s meeting water was an every day event. “Every trip to visit family or to with the crew of a ? shing vessel on its way to the Bering Sea do a grocery run on the mainland meant taking the ferry. Dur- or one of our tug crews at Foss, every day is slightly different ing my childhood, my Dad worked in maritime, so I spent a for the types of projects and parts of the industry we get to lot of time tagging along with him to work on clients’ vessels. work with. There aren’t many boring moments and the busy

At some point in elementary school, my parents put me in my times are the ones that constantly push you to learn more.” ? rst sailing class and I was hooked.” That kind of experience isn’t always available to every young woman, but Ness took Foundations every advantage of her circumstances on the way up. That Before Foss, however, there was the United States Naval said; she points to just one watershed moment that ultimately Academy, where Ness earned a degree in Naval Architec- pointed her to the commercial waterfront, and today keeps her ture in May of 2010. One of the youngest professionals ever anchored there. ‘pro? led’ here in MarPro, Ness has already managed to cram

After spending a semester on the tall ship SV Concordia dur- what might be an enviable total career for anyone else, into ing her ? nal year of high school, she began to understand how a very short period of time. With service as a commissioned sailing could transfer into a career. She explained to MarPro of? cer in the United States Navy – she remains in the ready in November, “When your classroom is a working ship, your reserves today – and career postings as a Project Engineer and perspective changes signi? cantly as you watch the world go before that, a Naval Architect, she also been heavily involved by outside, splitting your day between watches, class, and sail in the world of salvage.

maneuvers.” Later, Concordia sank off of Brazil in 2010, and Anything but deskbound, Ness enjoys the ? eld assignments in nothing short of a miracle, not a single soul was lost. But and on occasion, getting her hands dirty on the many varied the experience of being on board that same vessel years before tasks pushed her way. That perspective no doubt at least in was probably the single greatest factor in her choosing to study part emanates from her experiences at the U.S. Naval Acad- naval architecture, and the loss of the ship later on sparked an emy, and then afterwards, during active duty. For those who interest in projects related to salvage and wreck removal. haven’t experienced that kind of rigorous educational experi-

For Ness, the reasons for staying in the business are no less ence, the value of it can be hard to comprehend.

compelling than the event(s) that brought her here in the ? rst Ness sums up her military education and service succinctly, 14 Maritime Professional 4Q 2015I I 1-17 Q4 MP2015.indd 14 11/18/2015 10:30:01 AM