Oil Patch Bits: ECA compliance waiver granted to US ship owner TOTE

As reported on the MarineLink website Aug. 8th, Totem Ocean Trailer Express has received a permit providing a conditional waiver from the current Emissions Control Area fuel sulfur content requirements of MARPOL Annex VI regulation 14.4 while the company pursues conversion of its vessels to alternative fuels. The permit was issued by the United States Coast Guard under authority provided in Regulation 3 of Annex VI.

This permit is the product of a public-private partnership among TOTE, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the USCG. It will enable TOTE to develop and convert its two ORCA-class vessels, already the “greenest” ships in the U.S. domestic fleet, to the use of liquefied natural gas, LNG, as their primary fuel source. The conversion will advance technology and accelerate the use of natural gas as a cleaner domestic energy source.

“This is the first permit issued under the Annex VI, Regulation 3 program, and it is tangible evidence that when committed organizations join together, innovative solutions can result,” said Phil Morrell, vice president of Marine and Terminal Operations at TOTE.

Totem Ocean Trailer Express is one of six operating companies owned by TOTE Inc., a subsidiary of Saltchuk Resources of Seattle, Wash. The privately owned shipping company has operated roll-on/roll-off cargo vessels between the ports of Tacoma, Wash., and Anchorage, Alaska, since 1975.

The comprehensive project will also lead to the establishment of long-term supplies of LNG for use by other sectors of the transportation industry in the Puget Sound region.