News

Saltchuk sponsors Olympic athlete Sadie Bjornsen

December 1, 2014

Bjornsen message of health and wellness well matched to Saltchuk family of companies

Bjornsen visiting with some of the staff and crew at Totem Ocean Trailer Express

Anchorage, AK- Saltchuk is proud to sponsor Olympian Sadie Bjornsen as she prepares to compete in the Women’s Cross Country Skiing event at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The 25 year-old lives and trains in Alaska and was raised in Washington State, a “homegrown hero” for many who work in the Saltchuk family of companies.

Bjornsen grew up skiing alongside her parents and siblings in the Methow Valley. As a member of the National Team, she has competed around the world including Europe where she medaled in the World Cup, the highest level of skiing competitions. She took 18^th place in the 2014 Olympic Games and looks forward to returning in 2018 for the Sochi Winter Games. While her skiing trophy case is crowded, she says there is always room for more.

Through Saltchuk’s sponsorship, Bjornsen will serve as a company and community ambassador for healthy and active lifestyles. She will work to inspire kids and families to be engaged with physical activity at appearances and other activities during the year.

Delighted with the sponsorship, Bjornsen says, “I am excited about the new opportunities to represent such a large family of companies and share my values and commitment with them as they do so with their customers and employees. Their support gives me the platform to achieve my goals and allows me to dedicate myself to training and becoming best in my sport as Saltchuk strives for the same in their industry.”

Bjornsen keeps fans updated on her training and travels through her blog and Twitter. She is currently competing in the World Cup in Ruka, Finland and was featured in FIS Cross Country’s video of the opening weekend.

Eighty four Foss Maritime vessels honored for environmental excellence

November 24, 2014

Twelve Vessels Boast 20-plus Years of Incident free operation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With a combined 840 years without an environmental incident, 84 Foss Maritime and subsidiary companies’ tugs and tank barges have been recognized by a major maritime organization for their environmental safety records.

The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) announced the 2014 Environmental Achievement Awards honoring the Seattle, WA. company’s work on Nov. 13, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Foss and its sister companies have seen an average of 10 years without an environmental incident, with 12 vessels achieving 20-plus years of environmental excellence, including the Stellar Wind and the Arthur Foss.

“At Foss, environmental stewardship is built into our culture,” says Paul Stevens, president and CEO. “Plus, our customers demand it. So, having 84 vessels recognized for environmental merit really underscores the importance of this commitment.”

The awards are open to all owners and operators of vessels that operate on oceans or inland waterways.

“Foss aggressively pursues opportunities to work our environmental values into all of our business strategies,” says Susan Hayman, vice president of HSQE and External Affairs at Foss. “We engineer and build our technologically advanced vessels to exceed environmental requirements. It’s our commitment to safety, environmental awareness and quality control that helps make Foss an industry leader.”

“These awards celebrate the dedication to environmental excellence of our seafarers and the company personnel shore-side who operate our vessels to the highest standards,” said Joseph J. Cox, president of CSA, praising the award recipients for their commitment to serving as stewards of the environment.

Awards were presented to Foss and 70 other maritime companies – a total of 1,386 vessels. The full list of 2014 Environmental Achievement Award recipients can be found on CSA’s website www.knowships.org under “Press Releases”.

Saltchuk, Foss and Totem Ocean sign climate declaration

October 27, 2014

Saltchuk, Foss and Totem Ocean join more than 100 Washington businesses in signing climate declaration

SEATTLE, WA. – Over 100 businesses, including Virginia Mason, Microsoft, REI, and Saltchuk today launched an open declaration calling for action on climate change. The Washington Business Climate Declaration highlights the support of state business leaders for action on climate change that would preserve and expand our state’s vibrant economy.

The declaration states: “There is a clear and present need for action on climate change to protect our region’s natural assets, its vibrant communities and its growing economy. We business leaders of the Pacific Northwest endorse the Climate Declaration because we support using energy efficiently, investing in cleaner fuels, advancing renewable energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Quotes from Business Leaders:

“In the face of the increasing challenges presented by climate change, Washington State’s innovative spirit creates opportunity to help develop solutions and help to preserve our outstanding quality of life,” said Rob Bernard, Chief Environmental and Cities Strategist at Microsoft Corporation.

“The scientific evidence shows that climate change is real and has significant health impacts,” said Gary Kaplan, MD, CEO and Chairman of Virginia Mason. “We all need to take action to respond to climate change in order to protect the health of future generations.”

“The Chamber sees climate change as a significant risk to our economy and unique quality of life, but it also poses an opportunity. Our region’s businesses have designed products and services that have improved lives around the planet and they are uniquely positioned to provide solutions to our global climate and energy challenges. We support putting our businesses in a position to be the first mover on this global opportunity,” said Maud Daudon, President and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

“Here in Washington we have natural beauty all around. Our members’ lives are better because they can enjoy the outdoors,” said Jerry Stritzke, REI President and CEO. “That’s a constant reminder of why business and government just have to work together on climate change. It’s real and it can’t be ignored, so we are here to listen and take part in the dialogue about what should be done.”

“We are proud to join companies across Washington in signing the Climate Declaration,” said Mark Tabbutt, Chairman of Saltchuk, whose subsidiaries Foss Maritime and Totem Ocean Trailer Express have also signed the Declaration. “We have made substantial investments in clean technology and alternative fuels that have set new standards in reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality in the marine transportation industry.”

“With ocean acidification impacting our ability to produce young oysters to stock our farms we understand all too well the importance of tackling the carbon pollution problem,” said Bill Taylor, President of Taylor Shellfish. “Washington’s Business Climate Declaration is a strong statement from our state’s business leaders that it is time to act and that doing so should be seen as an opportunity not a threat.”

Businesses driving peer-to-peer engagement, momentum for climate action in Washington

Leaders from the signatory companies encourage other businesses to join them. Companies interested in signing the declaration can do so at http://climatedeclaration.us/wa — the page includes the full list of companies that have signed the Washington Business Climate Declaration.

The Washington Business Climate Declaration is a companion to the Climate Declaration launched in 2013 by Ceres, a nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization, and its business network, Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy. The Climate Declaration has more than 1,000 signatories nationwide. See the nationwide list here.

PSE, Totem Ocean sign fuel supply agreement

October 27, 2014

PSE to Provide LNG to Totem Ocean’s Vessels

Bellevue– Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Washington state’s oldest local energy company, and Totem Ocean Trailer Express (Totem Ocean) today announced they have signed a contract for PSE to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel Totem Ocean’s two Tacoma, Washington-based Orca-class cargo ships.

PSE will provide Totem Ocean with fuel for their ships that are being converted from diesel to cleaner-burning LNG. Using LNG will allow Totem Ocean to exceed new, stricter emission standards in the maritime shipping industry.

“PSE is excited to be working with a company like Totem Ocean that shares so many of our values,” said Paul Wiegand, PSE Senior Vice President, Energy Operations. “We are both proud to be a part of this community, sharing a long history as employers in Tacoma, Pierce County and the region and a commitment to environmental innovation.”

PSE is working to develop a new, state-of-the-art LNG production and storage facility at the Port of Tacoma to ensure continued dependable natural gas service for the company’s 760,000 residential and commercial natural gas customers by providing additional gas supply during times of peak demand. The facility will malso meet the LNG supply needs of Totem Ocean and other potential transportation customers. A property lease with the Port of Tacoma was approved in August 2014 and environmental review of the proposed facility has begun. Construction is expected to take about three years once all agreements are finalized and permits have been obtained.

“In order to reduce our environmental impact, Totem Ocean is converting its ships to operate on LNG and we are excited to be partnering with PSE.” said John Parrott, Totem Ocean President. “PSE’s new facility will provide vital new infrastructure making the use of LNG as a transportation fuel a reality in the Pacific Northwest.”

In 2012, Totem Ocean announced plans to upgrade its two existing cargo vessels to run on LNG. This innovative and environmentally friendly investment will help Totem Ocean lower their emissions to exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new air emissions standards and improve air quality for the people and communities they serve.

For updates on the Tacoma LNG facility visit PSE’s project website, TacomaCleanLNG.com.

Spectrum joins Interstate

October 7, 2014

Shift will leverage expertise and strengthen network

Tacoma, WA – TOTE, Inc. and Interstate Distributor Co. (Interstate) announced today that Spectrum Logistics, currently a TOTE company, is aligning with Interstate. TOTE and Interstate, both lines of business within the Saltchuk family of companies, will make this change to better leverage the business expertise of both companies.

This shift will allow Spectrum to benefit from Interstate’s vast network of drivers and transportation infrastructure. In addition, Spectrum will bring added capacity to Interstate as it  seeks to expand its truck brokerage services and business throughout the Southeastern United States.

“We are excited to have Spectrum’s expertise and services throughout the Southeast that will expand our network” noted Marc Rogers, President of Interstate. “Together we will be able to leverage our knowledge and improve results for our customers.”