On April 23, General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a christening
ceremony for the second ECO Class tanker for American Petroleum Tankers under
construction at the company’s shipyard in San Diego.
The Magnolia State is the second of a
five-tanker contract between NASSCO and American Petroleum Tankers, which 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 equipped with a new “ECO”
design that is expected to provide a significant improvement in fuel
efficiency. Upon delivery, the Magnolia State will join the ranks
as one of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly tankers in the
world, according to NASSCO.
“The revolutionary ECO Class provides our customers with an
alternative option for transporting product that is cost-effective and friendly
to the environment,” General Dynamics NASSCO President Fred Harris said in a
prepared statement.
The construction and operation of the new ECO Class tankers
are aligned with the Jones Act, which requires that ships carrying cargo
between US ports be built in US shipyards.
The Magnolia State, along with others in
the ECO Class, are the first in the Jones Act fleet to obtain a PMA+ notation,
representing compliance with one of the highest standards of human factors in
engineering design. The PMA+ notation is created to facilitate safe access to
vessel structure and spaces in ways that are rooted in the fundamentals of
human ergonomics.
“We look forward to taking delivery of our second ECO Class
tanker from NASSCO, said Robert Kurz, vice president of Kinder Morgan Terminals
and president of American Petroleum Tankers, a Kinder Morgan subsidiary. And we
thank NASSCO for their continued support which paved the way for this important
milestone to be achieved.”
The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo
Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering 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.
