Oil Patch Bits: TOTE first sailed into Anchorage 35 years ago

Thirty-five years ago this week, the S.S. Great Land rounded Fire Island and steamed into the port of Anchorage, beginning a new era in ocean transportation for Alaska’s Railbelt region, Totem Ocean Trailer Express Inc said Sept. 16. The new ship belonging to TOTE, a subsidiary of Sun Shipbuilding of Philadelphia, Pa., was built to support the growth and economic activity driven by the trans-Alaska pipeline system project, bringing with it the idea of roll-on and roll-off loading and discharging to the Alaska liner market and serving the unique transportation requirements for the massive amounts of construction equipment, consumables and supplies for tens of thousands of workers involved in the pipeline project. Today, TOTE focuses on providing the same service it did 35 years ago, reliability, competitive, on-time ocean freight carriage, with the benefit of today’s advanced technology, such as internet tracking and email communications. To mark this milestone, TOTE’s employees threw and impromptu 35th birthday party at its offices in Anchorage and Tacoma.