Saltchuk

10/16/2026

Meet Scott Elias, Transload Operator at CityServiceValcon’s ethanol site at the Port of Montana and a 2026 Saltchuk Safety Awards Honorable Mention.

Elias spent 20 years in the oil field without a single crew member getting hurt. When he came home to Montana, he built the site’s safety culture from scratch, starting with where every hose and tool belongs.

Off shift, he grows strawberries and turns them into homemade syrup for weekend French toast.

Read his full story:

Scott Elias built the safety culture at CityServiceValcon’s Port of Montana ethanol site from scratch, earning a 2026 Saltchuk Safety Award.

10/15/2026

10:15 a.m. Under the desk. Smiling anyway.

This morning, our Seattle HQ team traded chairs for the floor for the Great ShakeOut. One minute of drop, cover, and hold on, captured from floor level.

Our corporate team supports 30+ companies whose crews keep fuel and freight moving across Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Western U.S., including after a disaster hits. From the ramp to the wheelhouse to the cubicle, that work starts with knowing what to do in the first minute.

Thanks to everyone who crawled under a desk and sent a selfie. You made the safest minute of the day the most fun one, too.

Learn the steps at ShakeOut.org.

10/15/2026

She was once the only woman aboard her ship. Today, she's the captain.

Darling Gomez moved from the Dominican Republic to the Bronx at 11 and had no idea the merchant marine existed until someone mentioned a maritime academy down the road. Twenty-two years after a two-week internship at Overseas Shipholding Group - OSG, she commands the OVERSEAS MARTINEZ as the first female captain in the Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) fleet.

Four women now crew her tanker. OSG is working to make that the norm, funding scholarships through the Women Offshore Foundation to help women cadets earn their licenses at sea.

Watch her story, and read the full article here: https://www.saltchuk.com/osg-first-female-captain-darling-gomez/

10/08/2026

Corey Nichols plays pickleball with his team every Thursday. During Employee Appreciation Week, he wrote a handwritten letter to every employee.

“I’m no different than them,” he said. “I just happen to have a title.”

From pushing carts to managing a major retailer’s Alaska supply chain, read how Corey Nichols found his way to TOTE Maritime Alaska. ➡️ https://www.saltchuk.com/corey-nichols-tote-maritime-alaska/

09/25/2026

When Antoinette was growing up in Rice Camp, Maui, she was the kid everyone came to when they got hurt. Fish hooks, scraped knees, anything. She didn't know it yet, but she was learning her life's work. Today, as Health and Safety Director at Hawaii Petroleum, she's still that person, just on a bigger scale. Now she makes sure every employee across our fuel docks, distribution centers, and Minit Stops goes home safe at the end of their shift. Read her story ➡️ https://www.saltchuk.com/for-hawaii-petroleums-safety-director-every-shift-ends-the-same-way-all-employees-go-home-safe/

“Love people, love safety. Love safety, love people.” – Antoinette Palisbo, Health and Safety Director, Hawaii Petroleum Growing up in Rice Camp, a small, tight-knit neighborhood in Haiku on Maui, Antoinette Palisbo spent her childhood outdoors, riding bikes, jumping off waterfalls, and campin...

09/19/2026

No assignment. No budget. Just scrap wood, a garage shop in Ferndale, and two Foss Maritime crewmates who saw a better way to train. Meet Innovation Award co-honorees Ryan Meyer and Olivia Mitchell. “This was by mariners, for mariners.” ➡️ https://www.saltchuk.com/by-mariners-for-mariners-hand-built-wooden-fleet-earns-two-foss-crewmates-the-innovation-award/

Ryan Meyer: ‘We made this for our shipmates out here. It was us trying to take care of each other.’ On Foss tugboats across Puget Sound, safety meetings now begin with a fleet of small wooden ships. The models cling to whiteboards and bare steel bulkheads with magnets because space is at a premi...

09/12/2026

These honorable mentions round out this year's photo contest, showcasing the everyday beauty and standout moments our community captured along the way. Congratulations to all of our 2026 honorable mentions!

📸 Cody Jones, Adithyaa Vaasen, Dan Donovan, Grant Bird, Dave Soule

09/11/2026

Here's another set of honorable mentions from this year's photo contest — great shots that capture the moments and beautiful places our Family of Companies reaches. Congratulations to this year's honorable mentions!

📸 Jack Routhier, Grant Bird, Adam Ast, Hayden Darras, Curtis Turner

09/09/2026

Today we're celebrating twelve Saltchuk Safety Award honorees from across our family of companies in maritime, aviation, energy distribution, and logistics. Their work looks different in every case. A hand-built training fleet. A rewritten operating procedure. A retrofit of 64 pieces of cargo equipment. What connects them is the habit of noticing something, saying so, and following through. Read their stories. ➡️ https://www.saltchuk.com/news-honorees-announced-for-2026-saltchuk-safety-awards/

09/08/2026

A huge thank you to our 2026 interns for an incredible summer! 🎉 We loved the energy, curiosity, and fresh perspective you brought to the office every day. Take a look through the photos below for a glimpse at some of the fun our interns had this summer, in addition to all the hard work they put in. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors - we can't wait to see where you go next!