By Mark Edward Nero
On Saturday, March 25, General Dynamics NASSCO christened and launched the Palmetto State – the final ship in an eight-ship “ECO Class” tanker program to be constructed at the company’s San Diego headquarters.
According to NASSCO, the new ECO-class design symbolizes the emerging direction of the shipping industry in the US toward cleaner, more fuel-efficient modes of transporting product. The design provides a 33 percent fuel efficiency improvement compared to product tankers built just a few years ago.
In 2013, NASSCO entered into agreements with two companies, American Petroleum Tankers and SEA-Vista LLC, to design and construct a total of eight 50,000 deadweight-ton, LNG-conversion-ready product tankers to include a 330,000-barrel cargo capacity each. Seven of the eight tankers have been delivered to their respective customers. The final tanker, the Palmetto State, is scheduled for delivery this summer.
More than a thousand shipbuilders, their families and friends, and members of the community attended the christening celebration. Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) served as the principal speaker for the event.
The ship’s sponsor, who christened the vessel with the traditional break of a champagne bottle on the ship’s hull, was Linda Rankine, the wife of Bill Rankine, manager of marine chartering and operations for CITGO. NASSCO’s manager of planning, Karen Herrmann, served as the trigger honoree, and CITGO marine chartering manager Shari Flippin acted as the first shore removal honoree.
The Palmetto State and her sister ships are the most fuel-efficient tankers to service the Jones Act trade, according to NASSCO, which is the only major shipyard on the West Coast of the United States conducting design, construction and repair of commercial and US Navy ships.
In the past decade, NASSCO has delivered 29 ocean-going ships to government and commercial customers, including the world’s first LNG-powered containerships. In the past two years, NASSCO processed more than 120,000 tons of steel.
Showing posts with label ECO-class vessels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ECO-class vessels. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Friday, May 13, 2016
NASSCO Launches 3rd LNG-Ready Tanker
By Mark Edward Nero
On May 7, General Dynamics NASSCO shipbuilders in San Diego launched and christened the third in a series of ECO-class tankers. Once delivered, Garden State would also join the ranks as one of the more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly product tankers globally.
Garden State is the latest 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.
On April 23, NASSCO hosted a similar christening ceremony in San Diego for its second ECO-class tanker for American Petroleum Tankers, Magnolia State.
The 610-foot-long tankers are equipped with a new design enabling improvement in fuel efficiency. They will be used to transport products — such as petroleum — that help fuel America’s businesses and homes.
The construction and operation of Garden State and its sister ships are aligned with the Jones Act, requiring that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards.
Garden State, along with others in the ECO class, are the first in the Jones Act fleet to obtain a PMA-plus notation, representing compliance with one of the highest standards of human factors in engineering design.
The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of 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.
On May 7, General Dynamics NASSCO shipbuilders in San Diego launched and christened the third in a series of ECO-class tankers. Once delivered, Garden State would also join the ranks as one of the more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly product tankers globally.
Garden State is the latest 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.
On April 23, NASSCO hosted a similar christening ceremony in San Diego for its second ECO-class tanker for American Petroleum Tankers, Magnolia State.
The 610-foot-long tankers are equipped with a new design enabling improvement in fuel efficiency. They will be used to transport products — such as petroleum — that help fuel America’s businesses and homes.
The construction and operation of Garden State and its sister ships are aligned with the Jones Act, requiring that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards.
Garden State, along with others in the ECO class, are the first in the Jones Act fleet to obtain a PMA-plus notation, representing compliance with one of the highest standards of human factors in engineering design.
The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of 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.
