On Oct. 30, Foss Maritime permanently closed its Seattle shipyard, located in the city’s North Queen Anne neighborhood.
The company said the decision was a difficult one that was made after years of working to improve the viability of the shipyard, and was based on Foss Maritime’s regular review of its business lines.
Foss said the closure of the shipyard does not impact the company’s other areas of operation.
“While the closure of the Seattle shipyard is a strategic decision for the future of Foss, it is not a decision we have taken lightly,” Foss Maritime President Will Roberts said in a statement. “We have employees and families who have been with us for decades; our priority is assisting them in this transition.”
Although operations have stopped, employees at the shipyard will keep receiving salary, benefits and an average of overtime wages through the end of 2021, according to Foss.
In the future, Foss said, it plans to use other Pacific Northwest shipyard operations to work on maintaining and repairing its fleet.
