Page 30: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2014)

FUEL MANAGEMENT Savvy Fuel Management Fuels TOTE?s GrowthAs TOTE prepares to bring the world?s  rst natural gas- powered containerships to the maritime industry, the  rm will also be the  rst to convert its existing  eet to run on natural gas. Two Orca Class vessels, operated by To- tem Ocean Trailer Express (Totem Ocean) in the Alaska trade, will be converted with minimal time out of service and return as the most environmentally advanced ships in the nation. At roughly the same time, TOTE?s Marlin-class vessels will arrive and arguably be the most advanced, environmentally respon- sible vessels of their kind ? reducing vessel sulfur emissions by 98 percent while providing safe, reliable cargo deliveries that keep communities moving. The  rst two Marlin-class vessels will be built at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. These American-made ships are scheduled to be deliv- ered in late 2015 and early 2016, and will operate between Jacksonville, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. NASSCO is also designing the conversion of the Orca vessels. That part of the story isn?t breaking news, but the nexus of why it came about and how TOTE President and CEO An- thony Chiarello and his team will execute their business plan, certainly is. Chiarello, who joined TOTE (formerly American Shipping Group) in August of 2010, was previously COO and executive vice president of NYK Logistics (Americas), Inc. Prior to NYK, Chiarello was with the AP Moller/ Maersk or- ganization for 16 years. Before that, Chiarello served as Dep- uty Executive Director of the Maryland Port Administration in Baltimore, Maryland. Along the way, he learned a few things about planning and logistics. That experience is evident as he guides TOTE forward ? and leads the maritime industry ? into a new era of environmentally responsible transportation. TOTE?s headlong rush into LNG power and the realignment of the organization?s  ve operating companies into three dis- tinct lines of business is not without risk. A lot of water has since passed under the proverbial bridge since the decision to repow- er the  eet and build still more vessels was made. The concept of using LNG as a fuel on this side of the pond has gathered momentum, but also seen setbacks in terms of commitments for bunker infrastructure and other fuels and environmental strate- gies have emerged. For his part, Chiarello hasn?t wavered one iota from his grand plan. MarPro caught up with him mid- summer at his Princeton, NJ of ces for an update on all things TOTE, as well as his assessment of the state of the industry. As Tote pioneers the use of natural gas as a marine fuel with two groundbreaking projects, Anthony Chiarello combines the strength and diversity of the Saltchuk group of companies with a forward-thinking, environmentally correct Tote business plan. By Joseph Keefe 30 | Maritime Professional | 3Q 201418-33 Q3 MP2014.indd 3018-33 Q3 MP2014.indd 308/13/2014 3:53:49 PM8/13/2014 3:53:49 PM