General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a keel laying ceremony for the first ECO tanker for American Petroleum Tankers under construction at the company’s shipyard in San Diego.
The ECO tanker is the first of a five-tanker contract between General Dynamics NASSCO and APT, 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 a new “ECO” design, offering improved fuel efficiency, and include the latest environmental protection features, including a Ballast Water Treatment System, General Dynamics NASSCO said in a statement.
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, the company said.
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.
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Image: General Dynamics NASSCO