Foss Maritime to buy Everett property, move 250 Seattle jobs there
EVERETT -- Saltchuk, the parent company of the Foss Maritime tug and barge company in Seattle, announced Wednesday it is buying a 66-acre property on the Everett waterfront, formerly Kimberly-Clark’s pulp mill and tissue plant, and will relocate about 250 skilled jobs there from Foss' current location along Seattle's Ship Canal.
Saltchuk employs 6,500 people nationwide, with 800 in the Puget Sound region.
“We are pleased to come to an agreement with Kimberly-Clark that will increase our presence in the North Sound and bring good jobs to Everett,” said Mark Tabbutt, chairman of Saltchuk. “We see tremendous opportunity and potential for further growth at the Everett site, a deep water port with unrestricted waterways. And we believe the redevelopment of this site as a shipyard and maritime complex will contribute a vital economic base to the Everett community.”
Under the plan, some 250 skilled maritime employees would relocate to Everett from Foss' current location along Seattle's Ship Canal, near Lake Union.
“This is a win-win for Everett and our economic future. We are very excited to have a successful, thriving maritime company choose Everett to be its new shipbuilding headquarters,” said Mayor Ray Stephanson of Everett. “Foss Maritime will bring family-wage, highly skilled jobs back to the Kimberly Clark site. The company will be a tremendous asset to the community and redevelopment of the site will generate additional opportunities in the future.”
The parties hope the sale will close early in the second quarter of 2014.
The existing Foss Maritime yard in Seattle, located inside the Ballard Locks, is not accessible to larger ships and is too small for future expansion, making the larger, salt-water site in Everett a more attractive long-term option. The headquarters offices for Saltchuk and Foss Maritime will remain in Seattle.