The Foss Maritime shipyard in Seattle closed its doors on October 30 after several years of financial losses.
According to company president Will Roberts, Foss made “wide ranging” efforts to keep the shipyard open, including “considering options for expanding into new construction as well as exploring buyers for a potential sale, which ultimately did not materialize due to insufficient market interest.
“Our goal has always been to preserve the continued operation of the yard,” he said. “Unfortunately, no such path exists.”
A division of Seattle-based Saltchuk, Foss Maritime operates a fleet of tugboats at ports along the US West Coast, as well as in Houston, Texas and Mobile, Alabama. The company will use other shipyards for maintenance and repair of its vessels. The rest of its operation will not be closing.
“While the closure of the Seattle shipyard is a strategic decision for the future of Foss, it is not a decision we have taken lightly,” said Roberts. “We have employees and families who have been with us for decades; our priority is assisting them in this transition.”
