TINIAN — Captain John Salas of Saipan Marine Corporation guided the motor tanker Sophia into Tinian’s port to deliver urgently needed fuel in the first commercial vessel call to the island following Typhoon Sinlaku, working in close coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, local partners and port stakeholders to safely execute the transit.
The Sophia, chartered by ExxonMobil, arrived after restricted operations were established to reopen access to Tinian following the storm. Salas, a harbor pilot with Saipan Marine Corporation, a subsidiary of Cabras Marine Corporation, executed the transit and berthing in post-storm conditions that demanded precision and sound judgment.
“I was just doing my job the best I can,” Salas said. “Wholeheartedly in this very difficult time I was doing it for the people of the CNMI.”
Cabras Marine Corporation described the mission as a critical step in restoring fuel supply chains to an island where power, water, port infrastructure and fuel were all severely disrupted by the storm.
