Centerline Logistics, a leading national provider of marine transportation services, announced today that it has acquired Saltchuk Marine Services’ California ship refueling business, currently operated by subsidiary Foss Maritime Company. This major acquisition brings together the combined capabilities of two of the nation’s leaders in petroleum transportation, strengthening Centerline’s position as a best-in-class provider of around the clock bunkering (ship refueling) services.

Through this significant expansion, Centerline will substantially grow its existing California bunkering operations. Centerline will acquire Foss’s six bunker barges as well as its established customer contracts in the California market. Centerline currently operates eight bunker barges in the ports of Los Angeles and San Francisco, part of a national fleet of marine transportation vessels serving customers along the West Coast, Gulf Coast and East Coast.

“Safe and versatile ship refueling is essential to keeping vessels and trade moving through American ports. As one of the largest bunkering operators in the United States, we are excited about the synergies this acquisition will deliver to our customers,” said Matt Godden, President and CEO of Centerline

Logistics. “With Foss’s California bunker barges joining Centerline’s fleet, we will be in an even stronger position to provide our full suite of industry-leading maritime refueling services — from small vessels to the world’s largest ships.”

Centerline Logistics was founded in 1987 as an oil transportation business focused primarily on providing ship refueling and general petroleum transportation. Today, the company’s modern petroleum services fleet — operated by skilled mariners — includes double hull barges equipped with state-of-the-art vapor recovery equipment, tank monitoring, alarm and inert gas systems. Over the course of 2020, Centerline has made the decision to pursue a strategy focused on strengthening its premier service offering – safe petroleum transportation.

Centerline and Foss look forward to partnering together during this transition to provide continuity of services. There will be a short transition period during which Foss will continue to operate the bunker barges before Centerline takes operational control of the vessels.

Centerline was represented by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP on the transaction and Saltchuk Marine was represented by Foster Garvey PC.