Given the circumstances, there were only a few small capitalized retail stores on the island and cargo shipments for these small businesses were haphazardly scheduled to such a degree that goods to the island sometimes sat for weeks in the port of Guam. For Jose C. Tenorio, this limited the level of service he could provide at his small grocery store in the village of Chalan Kanoa. His ability to harness external forces was limited because the United States military held full control of all activity on the island.

As a self taught businessman, Tenorio (hereafter Joeten) was hungry foropportunity. Joeten nurtured relationships with the military stationed on Saipan, which was not the social norm at the time. By showing the military good old fashioned island hospitality, Joeten would later gain the credibility needed to assist with the approval of a new commercial shipping line for the island.

Joeten clearly understood that an established corporation born out of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) would be a risk. However, he also foresaw the potential rewards that would follow. Three people agreed to participate and help garner support in the birth of a shareholder-owned company. These additional pioneers of Saipan Shipping Company were Ricardo T. Borja, Herman R. Guerrero, & Vincente S. Camacho.

With shareholder support accomplished by the four men, Saipan Shipping Company, Inc. was established in Saipan as a trust territory corporation under the Navy Government in 1956. The corporate charter was signed in August 24th by Cmdr. Charles E. Miller, Naval administrator of the Saipan district. Soon after, the company’s first vessel the M/V Hope was purchased. 

In 1962, U.S. military control ended and security requirements were lifted. By this time, the M/V Four Winds had been added to the Saiship fleet. With federal budgets being created to help those within the TTPI increase their standard of living, the emergence of an autonomous market economy on Saipan was set into motion.