Barge companies bring world to doorstep: barge lines transport everything from food to vehicles to construction equipment to all parts of the state, offering both chartered and scheduled service.

• Author: Jones, Patricia
• Position: Anderson Tug and Barge - Company Profile

Whether it's fuel to remote river villages, an antique car to the Lower 48 or oversized oilfield drilling equipment to the North Slope, barge companies in Alaska carry some unique cargo far off the beaten path.

Destinations vary as much as the cargo carried by barges in the Last Frontier. Several larger ports of call are regular stops for a number of barge carriers, either on a seasonal or on a year-round basis in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska.

Many other communities, particularly those along the west coast and on navigable rivers in Alaska, are served by a regional barge line only once or twice a summer, a delivery that provides a year's worth of goods at one stop.

And other communities receive barge service only on special request-as the level of business doesn't warrant regular, repeated stops by the barge lines.

For example, Samson Tug & Barge, a family-owned business that started in Southeast Alaska, provides charter service to Sand Point, Cold Bay and Adak. That's in addition to the 10 communities that receive year-round service and the five that receive seasonal stops from Samson's fleet of barges.

"Charter rates are usually done on a daily basis," said Jerry Morgan, director of sales for Samson. "Some rates include fuel, although some customers want to buy their own fuel. The service includes loading and unloading."

Anderson Tug & Barge, based in Seward, also provides charter barge service, according to office manager Heather MacQuarrie. In fact, the company does not provide regular-scheduled barge service-rather, Anderson relies strictly on special requests for barge shipments.

"That's the niche we fill," MacQuarrie said. "We're a little bit smaller-three tugs and one cargo barge.

Customers with tight schedules and a large load tend to benefit from such charter barge service, she explained.

"We can work around their schedules as long as we have the availability," MacQuarrie said. "The customer controls when we deliver. They schedule a date to load all their equipment and have the benefit of knowing that it will go straight to the location they're going to."

Anderson's cargo barge measures 230 feet by 60 feet, providing a total capacity of 3,500 tons. Typical customers are construction companies, she said.

"We've been doing some work for environmental or remediation companies, mobilizing and demobilizing their equipment," MacQuarrie said.

Some charter barge trips are quoted as a lump sum for the round-trip, she said, rather than...