The Project:

Foss Maritime successfully delivered 155 Korean-built modules in support of the Kearl Oil Sands project near Fort McMurray, Alberta – one of Canada’s largest open-pit mining operations. The oversized modules were transported in 40 trips up the Columbia and Snake river system from Vancouver, WA to Pasco, WA and Lewiston, ID on barges retrofitted to operate in river conditions and travel in tandem. They were then transshipped to Canada to create the Kearl Sands state-of-the-art processing facility in the Athabasca Oil Sands region of northern Alberta.

Services Provided:

  • Harbor Towing
  • Project Cargo & Logistics
  • Ballasting & Mooring
  • Marine Engineering
  • Construction Support

Highlights:

  • Worked in partnership with Imperial Oil, ExxonMobil, Fluor, and Mammoet
  • ransported 155 pieces of production equipment sized up to 120’ by 24’ and 25’ high
  • Designed and fabricated ballasting systems for the barge Sitka; Upgraded and improved the system in barge 286-3
  • Provided ballasting in Lewiston, ID while modules were safely unloaded
  • Foss vessels the P.J. Brix tug pushed the barges while the Betsy L tug pulled the barges on a towline
  • The Kearl Sands project could eventually produce up to 345,000 barrels of oil per day
  • The complex and logistically challenging project was completed on time and ahead of schedule