Saltchuk Companies Lead in Environmental Innovation & Stewardship
Saltchuk is committed to minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Our goal is to be an industry leader in our stewardship of the environment.
Saltchuk is proud of our companies’ investments in renewable energy, clean technology, and alternative fuels that have set new standards in reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality in the transportation industry.
New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal
Offshore Wind Logistics Terminal Ready to Support
With a proven commitment to safety and quality, the purpose-built New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal will provide transport, installation, operations, and maintenance services for the U.S. Offshore Wind Industry. The terminal, slated to open in 2023, will provide storage and laydown areas for equipment and materials, berth facilities for a range of vessels such as crew transfer vessels (CTV) and service operation vessels (SOV), as well as Foss tugs and barges. It will also house new office space for project teams, crew marshaling facilities, workspaces, and a marine coordination center for technicians supporting the offshore wind facilities in Massachusetts.
The terminal, the site of a former coal-fueled power plant, is a symbol of the transition from the past carbon-heavy fuel sources to renewable sources.
See the latest news from the terminal
Tropical Shipping Solar Powered Office
Solar Power Reduces Tropical Shipping’s Annual Emissions
In 2022, Tropical Shipping began construction on a solar photovoltaic system mounted on a custom, double-cantilever carport structure at its company offices in West Palm Beach, Florida. The system generates 85 percent of the office’s energy needs with clean, renewable power, reducing Tropical’s annual carbon footprint by approximately 735 metric tons.
Tropical Shipping Partners With OCOVI to Collect Hurricane Data
Data Gathered Helps Storm Preparedness and Tracking
Representatives from OOCVI and Tropical hold one of the storm buoys.
Ocean and Coastal Observing – Virgin Islands (OCOVI) is working with Tropical Shipping to support the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) efforts to better track and predict hurricane activity in the Caribbean using specialized drifting buoys. The buoys provide real-time data on sea surface temperature and currents, barometric pressure, wave height, direction, and duration. Buoys launched from Tropical Shipping vessels in the southeast Caribbean were instrumental in collecting data during the last hurricane season. Tropical continues to deploy drifters through a partnership with OCOVI and NOAA.
TOTE Marlin Class Vessels
In 2022, TOTE Services celebrated its 300th fueling operation of the LNG bunker barge Clean Jacksonville at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.
The World’s First LNG-Powered Containerships
TOTE is proud to have built the world’s first natural gas-powered containerships for the U.S. maritime industry.
The Marlin-class vessels are the most advanced, environmentally responsible vessels of their kind – LNG improves human health by virtually eliminating local emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM) and cutting nitrogen oxide (NOx) by up to 95%. This is particularly important in ports and heavily populated coastal areas.
Two Marlin-class vessels completed construction at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, CA. These American-made ships entered service in 2015 between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
See ANGA’s Think About It campaign featuring the Marlin vessels.
TOTE Orca Class Conversion
Reducing Emissions, Leading the Nation
TOTE is not just the first in the nation to build LNG ships but also the first to convert its existing fleet to run on natural gas. TOTE Maritime Alaska’s two Orca Class vessels serving the Alaska trade were converted with minimal time out of service and returned as the most environmentally sophisticated ships in the nation.
Learn more about the project here
TOTE, Carlile, Ryan Air, and NAC Supply Transport of Recyclables
Transportation Industry Critical Partners With Alaskans For Litter Prevention & Recycling
Carlile has partnered with Denali Zero Waste since 2021. Saltchuk companies have a longstanding partnership to transport recyclables to the Lower 48 for processing.
Recycling in Alaska requires collaboration across the transportation community. With 82 percent of Alaskan communities off the road system and the nearest recycling processor thousands of miles south in Tacoma, Washington, Alaskans For Litter Prevention & Recycling works with air carriers to move recyclable materials to Anchorage, where they are loaded on vessels destined for Tacoma. In 2022, Saltchuk companies donated more than $1.7M in freight transportation to reduce waste and keep Alaska beautiful.
Carlile Partners with Denali Zero Waste
Keeping our National Parks Clean
Since 2021, Carlile has taken part in the Zero-Landfill Initiative, a public-private effort to reduce waste at Alaska’s national parks, transporting thousands of pounds of recyclable waste from the Denali Borough to the Community Recycling Center in Palmer.
Carlile’s New Stormwater Treatment Facility
Protecting Tacoma’s Waterways
Completed in May 2023, the eco-friendly Chitosan-Enhanced Sand Filtration (CESF) system is designed to clean and filter runoff before it reaches surrounding waterways, ensuring Carlile remains compliant with federal, state, and local regulations. The Tacoma freight terminal supports large shipments of essential supplies transported by vessel to Alaska. See more about Carlile’s sustainability efforts.
TOTE Companies Engage in Green Marine Certification Process
Committed to Environmental Stewardship
TOTE Group, an industry leader in U.S. transportation and logistics, is enrolling its TOTE Maritime Alaska and its TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico fleets in Green Marine, the leading voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry. To achieve Green Marine certification, TOTE will assess the environmental performance of its operating fleets 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. The certification process is rigorous and transparent, with results independently verified every two years, and each participant’s individual performance made public annually.
Shore Power at the Port of Tacoma
Improving Air Quality, Utilizing Electricity to Power the Ships While at Port
In October 2013, TOTE Maritime Alaska became the first cargo carrier in Puget Sound, Washington, to utilize the shoreside electrical grid for power when their ships are in port. TOTE eliminates air emissions by utilizing shore power while the ships are at the dock.
TOTE Raingardens
An Innovative Approach to Storm Water Mitigation
In 2011 TOTE installed the Puget Sound region’s first industrial rain gardens at their Port of Tacoma terminal. The rain gardens, which feature almost 600 native plants, are designed to filter pollutants from water that runs off building rooftops and the property where TOTE carries out its daily operations.
Approximately a quarter of a million gallons of water is routed through the gardens each year, eliminating more than 80 percent of heavy metals that otherwise would flow directly into Commencement Bay. The rain gardens have become a centerpiece for South Sound conservationists looking for low-cost, high-impact solutions to improve water quality.
Young Brothers Solar Power Project
Harnessing the Power of the Sun to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint in Hawaii
Young Brothers invested in renewable energy in November 2010 with 432 new solar panels installed at its Pier 40 location at Honolulu Harbor. The 116kW photovoltaic system will produce enough clean, renewable energy over its lifetime to preserve more than 15,000 trees and conserve more than 400,000 gallons of gasoline. See the real-time dashboard here.