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NASSCO Lays Keel for First ECO Product Tanker for American Petroleum Tankers

NASSCO Lays Keel for First ECO Product Tanker for American Petroleum Tankers

Mike Schuler
Total Views: 5
March 8, 2015

Image credit: NASSCO

General Dynamics NASSCO has marked the keel laying for the first in a series of five Jones Act ECO tankers for American Petroleum Tankers (APT) under construction at the company’s shipyard in San Diego.

The five-tanker contract between General Dynamics NASSCO and APT calls for the design and construction of five 50,000 deadweight ton, LNG-conversion-ready product carriers with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity. The 610-foot-long tankers are a new “ECO” design, offering improved fuel efficiency.

San Diego’s First Lady, Mrs. Katherine Faulconer, authenticated the keel by welding her initials onto a steel plate during a ceremony on Friday. Her husband, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, cut the first piece of steel used to build the ship during the vessel’s start of construction ceremony in September 2014.

The five-tanker APT contract, along with NASSCO’s existing backlog, will sustain its current workforce of more than 3,800 and has added approximately 300 jobs at NASSCO.

Deliveries of the first four ships are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2015, continuing through 2016. Delivery of the fifth ship is scheduled for the second quarter of 2017.

“NASSCO is pleased to continue our commitment as good environmental stewards by building the most energy-efficient tankers in the Jones Act fleet and in helping to sustain and grow highly-skilled jobs right here in San Diego,” said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics NASSCO.

The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea. The design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN ME slow-speed main engine and an optimized hull form. The tankers will also have dual-fuel-capable auxiliary engines and the ability to accommodate future installation of an LNG fuel-gas system.

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