Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (APSI), the sole operating subsidiary of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA (AKPS), has delivered the first of two aframax tankers to SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., Exxon Mobil Corporation’s U.S. marine affiliate.
The 250-metre long, 115,000 dwt tanker will transport up to 800,000 barrels of Alaskan North Slope crude oil from Prince William Sound, Alaska to the U.S. West Coast.
The vessel is equipped with double hull protection, the latest navigation and communications equipment, and an energy efficient engine.
“We are proud to have delivered this fine vessel, the Liberty Bay, to a first class customer such as SeaRiver and are confident it will serve them well for many years.
“The men and women of the shipyard have completed the largest vessel built in Philadelphia in nearly 70 years and further cemented APSI’s important place as part of the domestic energy solution,” said Steinar Nerbovik, APSI’s Managing Director.
As previously disclosed in AKPS’s Q1 2014 report, a defect in the vessel’s propulsion system was discovered during sea trials in March 2014.
Aker explained that all remedial efforts to resolve this issue, in addition to owner requested change orders, were completed as planned. The rework impacted the vessel’s schedule as previously disclosed, but did not result in any liquidated damages.
APSI is currently constructing an additional 115,000 dwt crude oil tanker for SeaRiver.