Press Releases
The Second of TOTE's Two New Ships Delivered in Tacoma
TACOMA, WASHINGTON -- Totem Ocean Trailer Express greeted the newest vessel to enter the Alaska trade, the M. V. North Star, the morning of August 28, 2003. Her arrival in the Port of Tacoma marks the conclusion of a many-year new ship building and reinvestment program that will benefit the Puget Sound and Alaska for decades to come.
Her sister ship, the M. V. Midnight Sun, entered Alaska service in April this year. Both ships are the first two members of the Orca Class, specifically designed for the rigors of the Alaska trade and built to protect the pristine environments of Washington and Alaska waters.
These vessels have already won several prestigious awards recognizing their environmental benefits, some of which go beyond what is required by law. The ships are double-hulled, twin-screwed, and notably for the marine ecosystems of Puget Sound and Cook Inlet, Alaska, fresh water ballast systems are aboard both vessels to avoid introducing marine species that are not indigenous to the waters of each state. The engines are clean-burning diesel electric.
As TOTE welcomes the North Star, she bids farewell this September to the first ship the Company employed in the Alaska trade route 28 years ago, September 10, 1975, the S.S. Great Land. The vessel will serve Matson in Hawaii.
Also as TOTE welcomes the North Star, which will embark on her maiden working voyage on August 30th, joining her crew is the first ever Alaska native woman to graduate from the Seafarers International Union's (SIU) maritime training apprenticeship program in Piney Point, Maryland. Eileen Lammers, 19, is a part of the Haida and Nishga tribe, and is from Ketchikan, Alaska.
Totem Ocean Trailer Express is a privately owned Alaska corporation operating a fleet of roll-on/roll-off cargo trailer ships between the Ports of Tacoma, Washington and Anchorage, Alaska.
TOTE's M.V. North Star, left, dwarfs a Horizon container vessel at the Port of Anchorage. The "Orca-class" ship, one of two that TOTE has put into service between Tacoma and Anchorage, is 839 feet long. (Photo by Jim Lavrakas / Anchorage Daily News)
TOTE and Port of Tacoma Cut Ribbon for New Terminal
Totem Ocean Trailer Express's (TOTE) new terminal was celebrated during a groundbreaking July 2, 2003. TOTE has been a Port of Tacoma customer since 1976, helping the port earn its reputation as America's "Gateway to Alaska".
The ribbon cutting was, in fact, a grand re-dedication of TOTE's existing facility on the Blair Waterway. The Port of Tacoma invested $12 million in terminal upgrades to make the facility more operationally efficient for the line's two new vessels, the M.V. Midnight Sun and the M.V. North Star, which were brought into service this year.
On September 9 2003, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich cut the ribbon, signifying the simultaneous dedications of the M.V. North Star and the new Anchorage Terminal Facilities.
The First Commercial Dry Cargo Vessel Built in the United States in Over a Decade Embarks on Her Working Maiden Voyage From the Port of Tacoma April 23
TACOMA, WASHINGTON - Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. (TOTE), introduced the first of two new vessels, the M. V. Midnight Sun, into the Port of Tacoma, Washington to Port of Anchorage, Alaska trade route, departing Tacoma, Washington at 3:00 A. M. on Wednesday, April 23. Midnight Sun is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Anchorage at approximately 2:00 A. M. on Saturday, April 26. It is the first Orca Class roll-on/roll-off trailer ship TOTE has commissioned for service from Tacoma, Washington to Anchorage, Alaska.
The M. V. Midnight Sun and her sister ship, M. V. North Star, are 840 feet long and 118 feet wide. Their width adds increased maneuverability on the ship, allowing trailers as large as 53 feet long, a choice TOTE wanted to offer its customer base shipping cargo to the Alaska marketplace. Despite their 50-foot increase in length and 13-foot increase in width over TOTE's existing steamship fleet, most cargo will be loaded and discharged in 9 hours; the speed and efficiency of this process is an important market niche for TOTE. The Company's terminal facilities in the Ports of Tacoma and Anchorage have also been restructured and expanded to help facilitate continued efficiency.
"M. V. Midnight Sun reflects our ongoing commitment to the vitality of the Alaska and Puget Sound economies," said Bob Magee, President & CEO of TOTE. "Our multi-million dollar investment in both ships speaks loudly to TOTE's belief in the future growth of these economies." M. V. Midnight Sun and M. V. North Star have already received several prestigious environmental awards. These include: The States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force Legacy Award 2000, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner's 2000 Pollution Prevention Award, and the United States Coast Guard's William M. Benkert 2002 Environmental Excellence Bronze Award. Midnight Sun "M. V. Midnight Sun is the culmination of years of planning and design," said Magee. He continued, "The efficiencies of the Midnight Sun and North Star will cover the long-term capital costs. It is our wish to provide our customers the safest, most reliable, fastest service to Alaska. The Orcas are designed to do just that."
The North Star will be christened June 14, 2003 in San Diego, and will enter Alaska service August 2003. Says Magee, "TOTE owes much of is success to its loyal customers and the hard work of its employees, seafarers, merchant officers, and members of organized labor who support the ships shoreside. It is through their dedication and perseverance that TOTE is able to maintain its commitment to the future of Alaska and the Puget Sound region."
Founded in 1975, TOTE is a privately owned Alaska corporation operating a fleet of roll-on/roll-off cargo trailer ships in the Alaska trade. In addition to terminals in Tacoma, Washington and Anchorage, Alaska, TOTE has sales offices in Chicago, Illinois; Long Beach, California; Houston, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, British Columbia; and provides service between the Ports of Tacoma and Anchorage with highway and rail connections throughout greater Alaska, the Lower 48, and Canada.
Pictures:
- The Wedell Foss assists the M. V. Midnight Sun on her arrival at the Port of Tacoma Saturday morning, April 19.
- The M. V. Midnight Sun is loaded for the first time the evening of April 22 with cargo destined for Alaska.
Midnight Sun Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. christened the first of two new diesel electric propulsion ships, the M. V. Midnight Sun, on August 3, 2002 at NASSCO in San Diego, California. Lynn Garvey, wife of TOTE shareholder, Mike Garvey, and Lily Stevens, daughter of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, did the honors.
The new ship will deliver early next year, and her sister ship, the M. V. North Star, will be christened second quarter 2003 and delivered later that year.
