Samson Tug and Barge is an Alaskan owned and operated interstate shipping company. Headquartered in Sitka, we take pride in serving our friends and neighbors. Most of our employees have a long history of working with Samson and we enjoy helping our customers be successful. At Samson, we will be proud to serve you. You can count on our experience.
WHO WE ARE
Today, Samson Tug & Barge remains Alaskan family-owned and operates as a fully-integrated, inter-modal, Interstate Marine Freight Common Carrier. Samson offers the complete range of barge, freight and cargo hauling services on a scheduled year-round basis. Routes go to, from and throughout Alaska, carrying seafood, construction materials, groceries, and general re-supply items.
On a bi-weekly basis, Samson sails from Seattle to the following communities:
Cordova, Valdez, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, Seward, Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak, King Cove, and Dutch Harbor.
On a weekly basis, Samson sails from Seattle to the following communities:
Metlakatla, Ketchikan, Prince of Wales – including Craig, Klawock and Thorne Bay, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, and Sitka.
Other ports are served on a seasonal or inducement basis.
THE STORY BEHIND SAMSON TUG & BARGE
Samson Tug and Barge began as a horse and cart operation delivering materials and goods to mining camps. Known as Baggen Transfer, George Baggen Sr. based the company in Juneau. In 1937, Baggen and his son George Jr. founded Samson Tug and Barge with a single tug that provided freight hauling services throughout Southeast Alaska.
The Samson fleet expanded in the 1950’s when the company hauled freight and a variety of cargo between Southeast Alaskan communities. By 1960, Sitka was home to Alaska Pulp Corporation and its mill, which employed over 300 people. Samson Tug and Barge provided log raft and chip barge towing to the plant for about 20 years. As the fleet saw more growth, Samson acquired bigger and more powerful tugs.
The 1980’s were a time of transition for Samson Tug and Barge. The military contract for freight services to Adak was awarded to the company which propelled Samson into the large-scale freight hauling arena. The addition of even more powerful boat barges that were capable of transporting massive volumes of freight and fuel enabled Samson to service a route which encompassed the entire Pacific Rim of Alaska.