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PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Lynden’s focus: Multi-modal transportation Lynden serves a global market with a focus on Alaska, serving the oil and gas, mining, construction,
retail and manufacturing industries by land, sea and air Susan Braund Petroleum Directory Contributing Writer
When newlyweds Ed and Ethel Austin founded Lynden Transfer in 1906, their one-wagon, two-horse freight hauling company based in Lynden, Wash., was progressive for its time. But it would have taken a quantum leap for the young entrepreneurs to imagine the major transportation system they were setting in motion.
The fledgling business cut its teeth and built its reputation on regular mail and freight hauls, maneuvering wheel-deep muddy roads to towns 20 miles away. Business growth began to accelerate in 1921 when they purchased a two-and-one-half-ton Mack truck, added regular Seattle runs, bought more trucks and hired new drivers.
Two of the drivers, Walter Craig and Henry “Hank” Jansen, eventually purchased the growing freight company, which became Lynden Transport.
When the opening of the Alaska Highway made road travel to the north possible, the new owners recognized further expansion possibilities. They scheduled their first trip over the highway in 1954, loading a van with 36,000 pounds of fresh beef hanging from hooks in the roof. The trip took four days over the steep, icy and curving road to Fairbanks — the beginnings of the first regular dependable trucking service to Alaska. Global market, Alaska focus Today, Lynden serves a global market with a focus on Alaska, serving the oil and gas, mining, construction, retail and manufacturing industries by land, sea and air.
“The Lynden family of companies delivers a completely integrated freight transportation package,” Lynden Vice President Dave Haugen told Petroleum News. “Our people have the knowledge to quickly respond and solve multi-modal transportation problems from origin to destination, over any terrain.”
The companies’ capabilities include truckload and less-than-truckload transportation, scheduled and charter barges, inter-modal bulk chemical hauls, scheduled and chartered air freighters, domestic and international air forwarding, international ocean forwarding, customs brokerage, trade show shipping, logistics for the rail industry, remote site construction, sanitary bulk commodities hauling and multi-modal logistics.
“The Lynden companies know their way around the oil patch,” Haugen said. “We know what it takes to hot-shot a load of pipe from Houston to Prudhoe, or get a workover rig delivered to Kazakhstan.
“We know what it takes to manage the entire inventory supply system for a national gas company or a multinational oil operation. When it comes to the oil patch, the Lynden companies are the logical service partner.” From Alaska to Italy and back Periodically, Lynden takes on special projects, like moving seven oilfield turbines from the Kuparuk oil field to Massa, Italy, for upgrades.
The turbines required special handling. In January, Lynden International took on the task of moving them from ConocoPhillips’ Kuparuk oil field to the Nuovo Pignone plant in Massa for rebuilding. Timing was key. First a new turbine was brought from Italy to Kuparuk to keep operations going smoothly while the original turbines headed for Italy, one by one.
For the Italy-to-Alaska move, Lynden used a Russian-built IL-76 to carry the 19-foot-long turbine, which, with the settle cover, lifting beam and spare parts, weighs 72,000 pounds.
The aircraft flew the turbine from Pisa, Italy, to Fairbanks, using a system of winches and rails inside the plane to load and unload the heavy turbine. Two Alaska West Express tractor trailer units transported the turbine and components to Kuparuk.
For the second move, an Alaska West Express truck hauled the turbine from Kuparuk to Chicago to meet a scheduled Air France 747-200 freighter flight to Paris. Then the turbine traveled overland to the Nuovo Pignone plant.
“This was the first time we shipped something of this size and weight on a commercial carrier,” said Scott Hicks, former Lynden Logistics coordinator who now works for Alaska West Express.
“The move went like clockwork. This combination of truck-air-truck transport saved us about 20 days over putting the load on an ocean vessel, which we’d normally do with something this size.” The Lynden family of companies “We have built up a family of companies that are capable of handling or coordinating virtually any shipment,” Haugen said.
“We realize that the details of our companies and their operations can be hard to grasp, but it really boils down to a pretty simple concept — we can provide cargo transportation and related information services throughout Alaska and around the world.”
The list of Lynden operating companies includes Lynden Transport, Lynden Air Freight, NANA/Lynden Logistics, Alaska Railbelt Marine, Alaska West Express, Alaska Marine Lines, Lynden Logistics, Lynden Air Cargo, LTI Inc. and Knik Construction.
Alaska, oil industry focus A number of Lynden companies focus primarily on Alaska and the oil and gas industry:
Alaska Railbelt Marine is the newest addition to the Lynden group, providing rail-barge service and regularly scheduled and weekly service between Seattle and Whittier. The service supports Alaska Railroad’s service to Southcentral Alaska. Three new upgraded barges were specifically designed for Alaska waters and conditions, with overhead racks to allow additional cargo over the top of the rail cars.
Lynden Transport is a complete multi-modal, regional, common and contract carrier primarily serving Alaska, offering truckload capabilities for refrigerated, flatbed and heavy-haul commodities and less-than-truckload cargo service on motor-water-motor routes.
Alaska West Express specializes in transporting liquid and dry bulk products, hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals and petroleum products to and from Alaska. An inter-modal transfer facility with a complete vapor recovery system in Fairbanks facilitates safe and efficient railcar transfers.
Alaska West Training Center is a division of Alaska West Express, providing workplace safety training in hazardous materials transportation, emergency response for hazardous materials and the Incident Command System. The center uses course materials that meet or exceed emergency management, emergency response, environmental, safety and health law, statutes, regulations and standards. Customized training courses, drills and professional safety and contingency planning services also are available.
Lynden Air Freight is a full-service domestic and international freight forwarder with more than 50 offices throughout the world. The company focus is on consistent, reliable and competitive transport. Lynden International, a Lynden Air Freight division, offers expanded import-export services.
Lynden Air Cargo runs regularly scheduled operations within Alaska, transporting everything from groceries to automobiles. The company has the equipment and the expertise to move cargo to remote locations throughout the world and offers charter services to transport oversized cargo. The company’s fleet of L-382 Hercules can land on packed earth, gravel, ice or short runways.
Lynden Logistics has targeted the domestic market with logistics solutions since 1984, offering management systems to streamline the flow of materials and information.
Tying together all of the companies electronically, Lynden’s E-Commerce Center lets customers request pickups, generate documents, trace shipments, view delivery receipts, download reports of shipment activities — any time, any day, without making a phone call. The future “We have built a tremendous transportation network in Alaska, poised to grow and to provide extraordinary service throughout the state,” Haugen said. “But it is all for naught if the jobs and the industry are not there to support it.
“Transportation is a bellwether for any state’s economic well being, and we have seen consolidation and the very real signs of a decline in Alaska. Lynden and others in the industry have made substantial investments in equipment, terminals, vessels and information technology in the last several years, and we hope to see these pay off, most importantly for the state and the people of Alaska.”
Lynden
6441 S. Airpark Place
Anchorage, AK 99503; (907) 245-1544; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www. lynden.com
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