Posts Categorized: Caribbean News
TOTE Named Best Place to Work
August 24, 2021
Recognized as Best Place to Work in both 2020 and 2021
Jacksonville, Fla. — TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico (“TOTE”), a premier carrier in the domestic m
aritime industry, was once again named one of the “Best Places to Work” on the First Coast by the Jacksonville Business Journal. This is the second year in a row that TOTE has received this recognition.
“TOTE greatly values our employees and we’re honored to have again been recognized as one of the best places to work in northeast Florida,” said TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico President Mike Noone. “Thanks to the dedication of our talented, experienced, and diverse team, TOTE’s committed to providing reliable, value-added service for our customers and to contributing positively to the communities in which we live and work.”
TOTE’s dedicated, twice-weekly service from Jacksonville, Fla. to San Juan, Puerto Rico, provides essential goods and cargo on which consumers rely to support their quality of life and most basic needs. Leveraging the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled containerships – the cleanest and most advanced in the market today – and other innovative capabilities, TOTE is a maritime leader in safety, service, and sustainability.
“TOTE’s mission is personal, and we take care of our people. We’re committed to a culture that develops and rewards those who do good work. Driven by a focus on our core principles of safety, the customer experience, operational excellence, and our colleagues, TOTE truly is a phenomenal place to be a part of,” concluded Noone.
The Jacksonville Business Journal conducts an annual survey of employees at companies throughout the northeast Florida region to determine which should be recognized as a “Best Place to Work” based on morale, engagement, and tenure. This is the fifth year that Jacksonville Business Journal has conducted the survey and the second time that TOTE has been recognized.
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About the TOTE Group
The TOTE Group includes some of the leading transportation and logistics companies in the U.S. domestic market. TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, LLC, and TOTE Maritime Alaska, LLC bring unmatched reliability and service to their respective markets, while TOTE Services, LLC offers crewing and technical services to meet the needs of commercial, privately owned, and U.S. Government vessels. The TOTE Group and its subsidiaries are part of the Saltchuk family of companies. www.toteinc.com
Hyak Supply Chain Now Saltchuk Logistics
June 1, 2020
Hyak Supply Chain, which oversees Carlile and Shoreside Logistics, became Saltchuk Logistics on June 1, 2020. The rebrand came a year after the introduction of the holding company led by Rick Murrell, retired CEO of Tropical Shipping.
“This brings front and center the credibility of the Saltchuk name to our efforts,” said Murrell in an announcement to his leadership team. “Our objective is to continue to strengthen and profitably grow our existing businesses, provide defect-free service to our customers, and add new profitable niche opportunities that enhance the earnings of the Saltchuk enterprise.”
Other than the name, there are no changes to the structure or role of the holding company.
Learn more on the company’s website, www.SaltchukLogistics.com.
Tropical Shipping Enters Suriname Market with Fastest Transit Time
May 4, 2020
Only Eight Days from Florida to Suriname
Paramaribo, Suriname – Tropical Shipping has announced it will serve the Port of Paramaribo with once-weekly sailings beginning May 14. The new eight-day transit will be the fastest service between Florida and Suriname. Tropical will ship everything from small packages to refrigerated cargo, dry goods, building supplies and vehicles. Based in South Florida, Tropical has served The Bahamas and Caribbean, including Guyana, for more than 50 years and added Belize to its ports of call in 2019.
“Moving into the Suriname market is a natural fit for Tropical,” said Tropical Shipping Assistant Vice President Mark Lopez. “It enables us to integrate our Caricom neighbor into Tropical’s network for inter-island commerce and provide an on-time, reliable supply chain to Suriname from the U.S. and Canada.”
Tropical Shipping uses state-of-the-art technology that allows customers to track their cargo for the entire journey, including at sea. Tropical is known for its on-time service and good communication with its business partners, something those customers have come to depend on.
“When you’re in the food business, you need a carrier that’s reliable,” said Willie Hamed, owner of Plaza Extra, one of the largest grocery store chains on St. Thomas and St. Croix. “We need to get fresh produce, meat, milk and other items consistently, and Tropical has provided us excellent service for more than 30 years. If there’s a delay on the mainland, they let us know, so we can plan for that. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
Southbound service to Suriname will depart the Port of Palm Beach every Thursday and arrive in Paramaribo each Friday of the following week. The northbound 11-day service will depart Suriname on Friday and arrive in the U.S. on a Tuesday. Tropical has retained Best Maritime Services as its Suriname agent.
For more information on Tropical Shipping and the new Suriname service, visit: www.tropical.com/news/2020/tropical-shipping-announces-a-new-service-to-suriname
Shoreside Logistics Receives Foreign Trade Zone Designation
May 4, 2020
Customers benefit with cost-savings and improved cash flow
Jacksonville, FL – Shoreside Logistics is pleased to announce its designation as a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). An FTZ is a secured site considered outside U.S. Customs territory where foreign cargo can be stored while delaying, reducing or eliminating import duties. By using Shoreside as their FTZ, businesses only pay duties once the cargo leaves the foreign trade zone, in the case of imported raw materials, once the final product enters U.S. commerce. The goal of the FTZ program is to stimulate economic growth through foreign commerce within the U.S., and Shoreside believes the timing of its new designation will be an asset to customers.
“We’re pleased to provide our customers with the many cost-saving benefits that operating under an FTZ offers,” said Shoreside Logistics President Tim Nelson. “From import duty reduction, deferral, and even elimination—an FTZ designation helps us improve cash flow for our customers, which is especially helpful during this time of economic uncertainty.”
Shoreside Logistics operates 100,000 sqft of warehouse space about five miles from JAXPORT. The company’s administration building, truck maintenance shop, driver facilities and truck parking are located on 14 acres just a couple of miles away from the warehouse. Shoreside has been part of the Jacksonville supply chain since 2002 and its services include drayage, warehousing, consolidation, intermodal transportation, Customs brokerage as well as managing the Customs Examination Station contract for the local U.S. Customs Border Patrol. Becoming an FTZ site is a natural fit and a benefit to the Jacksonville community as a whole.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shoreside to JAXPORT’s FTZ,” said JAXPORT Foreign Trade Zone Manager Deborah Lofberg. “The continued growth and success of our FTZ program, including the addition of businesses like Shoreside, helps bring more cargo, jobs and economic opportunity to our community.”
Using Shoreside as an FTZ also allows importers to file weekly Customs entries instead of each time a shipment enters the country, another significant cost-savings for businesses importing numerous shipments each week.
For more information on Shoreside’s FTZ service, visit: www.shoresidelogistics.com/foreign-trade-zone
Introducing Hyak Supply Chain to the Saltchuk Family of Companies
April 8, 2019
New brand, leadership introduced to headline Saltchuk’s logistics line of business
Saltchuk is pleased to introduce Hyak Supply Chain, the newest name in the Saltchuk family of companies. Hyak joins Foss, NorthStar Energy, TOTE, Northern Aviation Services
Leading the new business unit as President and CEO is Rick Murrell, who recently retired from Tropical after 40 years at the helm and is currently serving as Saltchuk SVP, Managing Director for the Caribbean. Murrell will work with leadership teams at two Saltchuk companies falling under the new brand, Carlile and Shoreside Logistics, to grow and develop their businesses.
The formation of Hyak reinforces Saltchuk’s commitment providing the best, most reliable logistics and supply chain services in the market.