Foss Joins Puerto Rico Sealift

At Norfolk, Virginia and at the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Foss Maritime is loading hundreds of utility trucks onto barges bound for Puerto Rico. The equipment will be used in the on-going effort to restore power to the island, where half the population still lacks electricity. On December 29, Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló announced that 1.5 million Puerto Ricans are still without power, 100 days after Hurricane Maria made landfall. 

Foss is working with a coalition of 19 U.S. mainland electric companies to deliver between 500 and 600 utility vehicles, including bucket trucks, line trucks, pickups, aerial lifts, CAT skid-steer loaders, digger derricks and pull trailers. The voyage from the U.S. mainland to Port of Ponce in Puerto Rico will take roughly ten days, with the trucks scheduled to arrive between January 16 and January 18. Hundreds of line workers and other personnel from participating electric companies will fly to meet the trucks and work on restoring power.

“This movement of hundreds of utility trucks is part of a comprehensive mobilization effort to get needed equipment to the island so utility crews can begin restoring power for the people of Puerto Rico,” said Will Roberts, Foss Chief Commercial Officer. “Foss is proud to be part of those efforts and continues to be at the ready as needs arise.”

Foss has been helping support relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for several months. Under a contract with FEMA, Foss arrived at the island on October 19 with three accommodation vessels, an ocean-going tug and more than 100 personnel to provide warm meals and “floating hotels” for hundreds of first responders, including workers from the U.S. Department of Defense, FEMA and AmeriCorps. The company has also shipped a load of power equipment and three loads of water to the island.