NASSCO to Design TOTE LNG Propulsion Conversion

General Dynamics NASSCO, contract with Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) to design the conversion of two Orca-Class  trailerships.

The contract is to design the conversion of the company’s two existing Orca Class, diesel-electric trailerships to liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion. This design contract is in addition to the new-construction order that TOTE Shipholdings placed with NASSCO last month for the construction of two new LNG-powered containerships.

The 839 ft Orca Class ships, which operate between Tacoma, Wash., and Anchorage, Alaska, were designed and built by NASSCO and were delivered in 2003.

“We are very excited to be engaged in another LNG project with TOTE,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “This project provides yet another sign that we are in the dawn of a new era of LNG propulsion. NASSCO will be a leader in the design, construction and conversion of ships to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of LNG.”

Conversion of these ships to LNG propulsion will significantly reduce or nearly eliminate the sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide (SOx, NOx, and CO2) and particulate matter from ship emissions when compared to traditional diesel fuel. In recent years, there have been large increases in the cost of diesel fuel as well as stricter emission regulations. These factors, along with the incredible environmental benefits made possible by this new technology, make LNG propulsion desirable for many new shipbuilding and conversion projects.