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FISC Yokosuka Fuel Department Upholds High Standards Fueling 7th Fleet

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS091021-04
Release Date: 10/21/2009 5:16:00 AM

By Blake Vives, Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Yokosuka Fuel Department achieved incident-free fuel operations during fiscal year 2009.

Despite having no automated fuel handling equipment, the fuels staff of more than 300 employees and technicians supported its customers throughout the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations in 2009 with more than 6,200 high-risk fuel handling evolutions, totaling more than 500 million gallons dispensed - all without incident. FISC Yokosuka Fuel Department also offloaded more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel from forward-deployed ships at a cost savings of $2 million.

Safely moving this amount of fuel is no small achievement considering FISC Yokosuka stores and distributes about 10 percent of all defense-managed fuel worldwide, making it the largest fuel department in the Department of Defense, not just Navy.

"Fiscal year 2009 went by extremely fast, largely because the FISC fuel department has so much on its plate and everyone has worked so hard to accomplish an extremely ambitious set of goals," said FISC Yokosuka Fuel Department Director Lt. Cmdr. Matt Holman. "I think we were all motivated at the beginning of fiscal year 2009 by our strong showing in the American Petroleum Institute awards: winning two individual awards, and early in 2008, being named 2007 Best Navy Bulk Fuel Terminal."

Holman credits an incredibly cooperative work environment for the sustained success in fiscal year 2009.

"The cooperative environment created by our employees during the performance of the fuel delivery mission we take so seriously is really how we are able to operate so safely and efficiently," said Holman. "Looking back, the fuel department's accomplishments this year are too numerous to list."

Holman highlighted a few of those achievements: "our employees found extremely innovative ways to enhance our ability to defuel [remove fuel] ships at minimal cost to the fleet; they implemented a new railcar contract [for fuel transportation] at Tsurumi Fuel Terminal in Yokohama, which required significant planning, trial runs and physical modifications to the rail-loading stand."

Another achievement includes the record-setting safety practices of employees.

"Because of the dedication to safety each and every employee has taken to heart, all six of our defense fuel support points continue to pile up an outstanding safety record with zero lost time incidents this year," said Holman. "Kanto Plain division leads the way with a truly amazing record of 1089 incident-free work days and counting."

Although the FISC Yokosuka Fuel Department continues to set records and receive awards, Holman catalogs a list of challenges to overcome the next fiscal year for further improvement.

"Fiscal year 2010 is shaping up to be even more challenging and even more successful," said Holman. "Among the major challenges on our plate are not only our usual high-tempo operations and maintenance but a major upcoming inspection; continued planning for the future of the Tsurumi Fuel Terminal in Yokohama; training our incredible workforce to maintain its reputation as one of the best fuels teams in the world; and aggressive pursuit of the centrally managed inspection programs for tanks, pipelines and other infrastructure," said Holman. "I am proud to see that our team is leaning forward into a new year and I am confident that we'll continue to accelerate into fiscal year 2011."

FISC Yokosuka provides around-the-clock logistics solutions for Navy, Marine Corps, joint and allied forces operating in the 7th Fleet Area of Operations.

FISC Yokosuka, one of seven supply centers under Commander, Fleet and Industrial Supply Centers (COMFISCS), is the Western Pacific region's largest Navy logistics command. The FISC Yokosuka enterprise is comprised of more than 20 detachments, fuel terminals and sites from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to Guam; from Misawa, Japan to Sydney, Australia.

COMFISCS comprises more than 7,500 military and civilian logistics professionals operating as a single cohesive team providing global logistics services from more than 135 locations worldwide. A component of the Naval Supply Systems Command, headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pa., COMFISCS is part of a worldwide logistics network of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel providing combat capability through logistics.