By Mark Edward Nero
On Sept. 17, General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a christening ceremony for the fourth ECO Class tanker for American Petroleum Tankers under construction at the company’s San Diego shipyard.
US Representative Juan Vargas spoke at the ceremony, and the ship’s sponsor, Melissa DeVeau, christened the ship with the traditional break of a champagne bottle alongside the ship.
“This state-of-the-art vessel will be another welcome addition to our growing fleet – one that will provide safe and reliable transportation for our customers in the decades ahead. We applaud our partners at NASSCO for making this day possible,” American Petroleum Tankers President Rob Kurz said.
The ECO Class tanker Bay State is the fourth 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, which provide an upgrade in fuel efficiency. The first three ships of the ECO Class program for APT – the Lone Star State, the Magnolia State, and the Garden State – are delivered and in service. The fifth and final ship under the contract is scheduled to be delivered in 2017.
All five tankers were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of Busan, South Korea.
“We celebrate the significance of the Bay State and her sister ships in the ECO Class program,” General Dynamics NASSCO Vice President & General Manager Kevin Graney said during the christening. “Upon each respective delivery, the ships constructed as part of this partnership with American Petroleum Tankers will join the ranks as some of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly tankers in the world.”