White House recognizes TOTE for LNG use at sea

   TOTE, Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Chiarello was honored by the White House Tuesday as one of 11 “Champions of Change” in transportation. Champions of Change every week recognizes Americans who are bringing positive change to their communities through innovative ideas and commitment to service.
   Chiarello was chosen for his role in having TOTE become an early adopter of liquefied natural gas as a marine transportation fuel. TOTE is the first U.S. ocean carrier to build and retrofit vessels powered by liquefied natural gas, which will significantly reduce emissions of unhealthy gases, carbon and particulate matter from diesel engines beyond international standards.
   TOTE plans to use the new dual-fuel container ships to serve Puerto Rico and is converting its ships on the Alaska trade to natural gas. TOTE’s operating company in Puerto Rico is Sea Star; on the Alaska-to-Tacoma route, it is Totem Ocean Trailer Express.
   Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx presented the awards.
  “As a Jones Act domestic carrier, we’re uniquely positioned to create real change in the supply conundrum — availability of fuel is a big hurdle for most transportation sectors to change over to clean-burning natural gas,” Chiarello wrote in a post he prepared for the White House Champions of Change blog.    “Our regular service routes create enough of a steady demand to entice fuel partners to build liquefaction plants in our ports of call, thus making LNG supply available to others in those markets. Supply in Jacksonville, Fla., and Tacoma, Wash., will serve the Southeast and Pacific Northwest with natural gas that can be used for ships, trucks and rail.”
   Most of the other Champions of Change for transportation were involved in urban planning or community-oriented transportation efforts. One of them, Daphne Izer, is the founder of Parents Against Tired Truckers, an advocacy organization that fights to reduce truck driver fatigue through reductions in hours of service and use of technology to ensure drivers adhere to federal driving limits.