History

TOTE Services has been known by several names in its lifetime – Interocean Management Corporation, Interocean Ugland Management Corporation, Interocean American Shipping and now TOTE Services, continuing its proud history of providing operation and management services for third-party ship owners of both foreign and U.S. flag vessels owned by affiliated companies.

The original predecessor of TOTE Services was part of a company founded in 1974 as IOT Corporation. IOT Corporation was located in Philadelphia, PA as a result of a merger of three long-standing maritime firms: Interstate Oil Transport (from Phila.), International Ocean Transport Corp. (from NY, NY), and Grand Bassa Tankers, Inc. (from Liberia). International Ocean Transport was formed from the maritime assets of Cities Service Oil Company. In 1982 the original owners sold IOT Corporation splitting the assets of Interstate Oil Transport and International Ocean Transport into two separate companies. International Oil Transport became Interocean Management (IOM) which is TOTE Services today.

 

 1975 – 1980

  • Interocean Management Corporation (IOM), operated a diverse fleet including Totem Ocean Trailer Express’ vessels in Alaska, and full operation of a very large and diverse fleet of both product and crude oil tankers.
  • From 1977-79 IOM oversaw the construction and delivery of two 165,000 DWT tankers and two 398,000 DWT ULCC’s.

 1981 – 1985

  • In 1984 IOM commenced managing vessels on behalf of the US Maritime Administration (MARAD). The first contracts were for three SL-7s which were in Reduced Operational Status (ROS) in Philadelphia. IOM’s involvement with MARAD grew with the company overseeing the conversion and subsequent management of nine Tactical Auxiliary Crane Ships (TACS).

 1986 – 1990

  • In March 1989 IOM was sold by the three owners, VADM George Steele, Bob Bassett and Bill Lockwood, to Totem Resources, Inc. – the predecessor to Saltchuk Resources, which is the current owner of the TOTE family of companies
  • In August of 1990, IOM was one of the principal US flag operators to assist MARAD and the U.S. government in the military sealifts associated with Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
  • In late 1990, the company oversaw the unprecedented seven month long modification and reactivation of an Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) in Malaysia after 10 years in lay-up.

 1995 – 2000

  • IOM managed a fleet of tankers for Hvide Marine, which included the Petrochem, Dynachem and HMI Defender, along with the five new-build 46,000 DWT Lightship Tankers delivered during that period.
  • IOM managed a fleet of tankers for Maritrans which included the Allegiance, Perseverance, GTDiligence and Integrity (1998-2005)
 

 2001 – 2005

  • IOM entered a strategic alliance with Norwegian Shipowner Andreas Ugland, resulting company’s name being changed to Interocean Ugland Management Corporation (Interocean).
  • Interocean managed commercial and government-owned vessels providing logistical support to the U.S. military in connection with Operation Enduring Freedom in the Middle East
  • The Interocean managed crane ship Cornhusker State was dispatched to Haiti to carry supplies to U.S Marine Forces in the wake of the revolution and rioting.
  • Interocean commenced the conversion of a semi-submersible oil rig into the radar platform SBX which was chartered to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency from the Boeing Corporation.
  • Interocean activated several MARAD vessels and MARAD-owned schoolships to assist in relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. These operations continued through the Spring of 2006.
  • The strategic alliance with Ugland was terminated, and the company name changed to Interocean American Shipping Corporation (IAS)

 2006 – 2010

  • In addition to the operation of a large MARAD and commercial fleet, IAS managed a fleet of car carriers under management agreement with American Roll-On Roll-Off Carriers. During this period the Roll-On Roll-Off fleet managed by IAS grew to eight vessels
  • IAS managed the re-flagging of three vessels for operation in the U.S. domestic trades.
  • IAS also managed numerous shipyard repair and overhaul periods throughout the world, including yards in Poland, Germany, Spain, Dubai, Bahrain and Canada.
  • After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti on January 10, 2010, IAS’s Conrnhusker State was dispatched to carry much needed emergency aid to the island.

 2010 – 2015

  • IAS was awarded a contract with Military Sealift Command for the continued operation of the SBX-1, a vessel that IAS has worked with – in conjunction with the Boeing Corporation – since 2004.
  • IAS was awarded another contract with MSC for the operation of the Offshore Petroleum Discharge vessel (OPDS) USNS Vadm K. Wheeler and the support vessel Fast Tempo.
  • IAS was awarded another Ship Manager contract with Department of Transportation for the continued management of the government owned RO/RO vessels Cape Horn and Cape Hudson.
  • On October 1, 2012 the company’s name, Interocean American Shipping, was changed to TOTE Services, Inc. The name change came nearly a year after the parent organization, TOTE, Inc., changed its name from American Shipping Group. TOTE Services is one of four operating companies in the TOTE family of companies.

 2015 – Present

  • Today, TOTE Services’ managed fleet is divided in to two groups – commercial U.S. flag vessels, (i.e., privately owned) and U.S. government-owned vessels. Key among the commercial fleet are Roll-On/Roll-Off ships and container owned by TOTE Maritime Alaska, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, PASHA in the Hawaii trade and American Roll-On Roll-Off Carriers.
  • Government contracts include ship management for ten U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) vessels—including one specialized tanker and two mission-specialized vessels operating under the Missile Defense Agency.
  • TOTE Services crews primarily U.S. vessels, but has proudly served Spanish, Peruvian, Chilean, Taiwanese, Filipino, Mexican and Honduran customers. TOTE Services is honored to have managed numerous government and commercial vessels in support of U.S. Military operations in Somalia, Haiti, South Korea, Cuba, and the Persian Gulf, as well as numerous military exercises in the U.S., Central America and the Far East.
  • In 2015/2016, TOTE Services managed the construction and delivery of the world’s first LNG-powered containership which serves the Puerto Rico trade.
  • In January 2016, TOTE Services oversaw the first fueling of an LNG containership, TOTE Maritime’s Isla Bella.