TOTE Maritime Alaska Converts Fleet to LNG Fuel
TOTE vessels built specifically for the Alaska market have delivered essential food, supplies, and industrial cargo since 1975.
Alaska Business
The roll-on/roll-off ships that TOTE Maritime Alaska sails between Anchorage and Tacoma, Washington no longer depend on diesel fuel. The company has converted both vessels to use liquified natural gas (LNG).
Ten-Year Conversion Process
TOTE is the first maritime company in the world to convert its entire fleet to run the most environmentally friendly shipping fuel on the market.
The company completed the final phase of converting its two ORCA-class ships. MV North Star completed the LNG commissioning period with the US Coast Guard this spring, and MV Midnight Sun completed commissioning in 2022. This marks the end of a ten-year process of converting the vessels to run on dual-fuel LNG.
“The investments that TOTE has made are designed for the long-term, to support the people and communities of Alaska for decades to come,” says TOTE Maritime Vice President and General Manager Art Dahlin. “Our built-to-serve vessels have been customized to ensure dedicated, reliable service to Alaska, providing substantial advantages to our state’s environment and our economy.”
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November 2024
TOTE describes the LNG conversion as the company’s second biggest investment back into the Alaska trade since its inception in 1975.
“TOTE is proud to lead the way in environmentally conscious shipping and protecting the communities we serve,” says TOTE Maritime Alaska President Alex Hofeling. “Completion of this historic LNG conversion project will bring the most advanced, environmentally friendly technology to the Alaska trade and will support long-term sustainability for our operations, our customers and the communities that rely on us.”
Alternative fuels, such as LNG, result in significant emissions reductions and an improvement in overall air quality. TOTE has made sustainability part of its corporate strategy for decades; it was the first shipping company in Puget Sound to build an industrial raingarden to filter pollutants from water drains. In 2011, TOTE also completed the cold-ironing or “shore power project” in partnership with Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy to supply electricity to dockside vessels and reduce reliance upon shipboard generators. As a result, diesel and greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 2,600 tons annually, the equivalent of removing more than 550 cars from the road each year.
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