Tote's M.V. Midnight Sun Arrives!(Totem Ocean Trailer Express' new motor vessel)

• Author: McCorkle, Vern C.

When Totem Ocean Trailer Express' M.V. (motor vessel) Midnight Sun came alongside its Port of Anchorage berth on April 26, it inaugurated a new design paradigm for commercial marine architecture and a new standard of service for Anchorage and the people of Alaska. It is the first of two TOTE RO/RO (roll-on roll-off) trailerships built specifically for the Alaska trade, said TOTE President/CEO Robert P. Magee. "Together with its sister ship, the M.V. North Star (to be delivered this summer), our new two-vessel Alaska fleet represents a $300 million investment commitment to our faith in the vitality of Alaska's economy," Magee told Alaska Business Monthly.

Each of the 840-foot-long ships is 50 feet longer and 13 feet wider than the aging three-vessel fleet they are replacing. In spite of the designed 50 percent increase in cargo capability, both ships can still develop a speed of up to 25 knots even in moderately heavy weather. Both accommodate 600-plus trailers up to as much as 53 feet in length, and with their specially designed car carrier tie-down systems, which have received ISO 9002 certification, can stow up to 250 automobiles. Seattle's SaltChuck Resources Corp., a venture of Northwest businessmen, owns Federal Way-based TOTE.

Considering that the 2,900-mile round-trip between Anchorage and Tacoma is intended to require only 66 hours each way and less than one day to discharge and re-load cargo, the ships can make the one-week turnaround with time to spare. Despite their greater size, the nine hours allowed longshore crews to off-load with speed and efficiency offers an expedited delivery factor that is the service hallmark of TOTE's Anchorage market niche.

What makes all of this possible is having an extremely capable and experienced complement of ship's officers and crew, longshoring teams that want to be part of a class operation and a physical/mechanical plant the likes of which are nowhere else available on the planet, said Midnight Sun Captain Daniel J. Severino.

Severino is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y., and a TOTE master and captain of many years' experience. "I've held a captain's billet more than once," Severino said, "but this is the first...