Alaska tug and freight mariners: shipping goods by sea to the 49th state.

• Author: Cottrell, Paula
• Position: TRANSPORTATION

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For many in Alaska, summer means warmer temperatures and longer days. To others in remote areas of the state, it also means the beginning of freighting season.

Freight comes into Alaska one of two ways--by air or by sea. According to the Port of Anchorage, 90 percent of all consumer goods sold in Alaska's Railbelt arrive by containerships. The freight is usually either trucked to its final destination by a common carrier, or it will travel by rail on the Alaskan Railroad.

As active as the Port of Anchorage is, being located at the mouth of Cook In let presents its own challenges--40 foot tides, six months of winter, and ice up to four feet thick. Containerships and barges serving the area rely on a single local company to help them guide their way through the treacherous waters of Cook Inlet.

Transporting Freight in Cook Inlet

Katrina Anderson, Operations Manager at Cook Inlet Tug and Barge, is a fourth generation mariner navigating the waters of Cook Inlet. As the sole provider of ship assist services at the Port of Anchorage, CITB is a key player in ensuring freight arrives in Anchorage year-round.

Like many Alaskan stories, details of the early days of the company have been lost, but an edition of the Seward newspaper dates the company back to 1938 when it promoted contract mail as well as cargo and passenger service to Anchorage for the company known as Anderson and Sons Transportation Co. This company, run by Capt. lack and his son, lack Jr., later became known as Cook Inlet Tug and Barge shortly after the end of World War II.

CITB began ship assist services in Cook Inlet when SeaLand began containership service to Anchorage in 1964. TOTE began its containership service to the area in 1975, five years after Jack Jr. retired and split the business between his two sons. Carl Anderson, Katrina's father, took over the Cook Inlet side of the business in 1974 while her uncle, Jack (Andy) Anderson III moved to Seward to form Anderson Tug and Barge.

While Carl Anderson is still involved with the company, he has passed the torch to his daughter, Katrina, who holds a two-ton captain's license and has been groomed for the business since she could walk the decks of the boats alongside her parents. "You couldn't keep me away from this business," Katrina Anderson says. "It's in my blood."

In early 2011, CITB was acquired by Foss Marine Holdings, expanding its operating capabilities. "It's difficult remaining a small company and keeping up with the demanding compliance regulations of the USCG," Anderson says. "By joining forces with Foss, we're able to continue providing the same level of expertise in Cook Inlet with the...