The International Maritime Organization designated the coastlines of North America as an Emission Control Area in 2010, imposing new emissions standards on the shipping industry. Rather than doing the bare minimum to meet the new standards, TOTE Group subsidiaries saw this as an opportunity to lead the industry by investing in liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine technology for its fleet.
In 2015, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico launched the world’s first LNG powered container ships. Today these two U.S. built vessels serve the Puerto Rico trade. These Marlin Class ships are the most advanced, environmentally responsible vessels of their kind - reducing vessel sulfur emissions, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.
TOTE Maritime Alaska is driving innovation in the Alaska trade with converting both of its ORCA Class ships to LNG power in 2023. This historical project is the first conversion of this scale in North America and will significantly reduce emissions of both the Midnight Sun and North Star - vessels that were custom built for Alaska.
Since 2011, TOTE Maritime Alaska has invested more than $28 million improving the fuel efficiency and reducing emissions of its shoreside fleet. This includes new hustlers, gensets, reefers and reefer trailers all used to transport goods to and from Alaska and Puerto Rico.
In 2019 TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico updated its fleet to NaturaLINE® containers and the CoolConnect tracking system. The Carrier’s(R) NaturaLINE(R) unit, uses natural refrigerant CO2, which can reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to units using synthetic refrigerant, limiting its impact on the environment. TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico is the first carrier in the Puerto Rico trade to utilize NaturaLINE in their reefer fleet.
In 2010, TOTE Maritime Alaska completed a $2.7 million shore power project - also known as cold ironing in the maritime industry - 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. TOTE Maritime Alaska invested $1.2 million and the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency provided an additional $1.5 million. The project was part of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy and created 50 family wage jobs during construction.
TOTE Group, an industry leader in U.S. transportation and logistics, has enrolled its TOTE Maritime Alaska and its TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico fleets as well as its Terminal operators, PRT and FCT in Green Marine, the leading voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.
"TOTE’s use of alternative fuels such as LNG dramatically reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a tank-to-wake basis, offering a pathway to decarbonization in the shipping industry,” said TOTE Group President & CEO Tim Nolan. “By utilizing the cleanest, most readily available fuel for shipping today and into the future, TOTE is creating positive outcomes for those we serve and the coastal communities in which we operate.”
To achieve Green Marine certification, TOTE will assess the environmental performance of its operating fleets and terminal operations through key performance indicators that address such issues as greenhouse gases, ballast water discharge, air emissions, oily water, waste management, underwater noise, and ship recycling and impacts to the communities. The certification process is rigorous and transparent, with results independently verified every two years, and each participant's performance made public annually. Initial results for TOTE will be published in the summer of 2024.
Learn More about Green Marine here.