General Dynamics NASSCO informed it held a keel-laying ceremony for the first ECO tanker currently under construction for SEA-Vista, at the company’s shipyard in San Diego.
The ECO tanker is the first of a three-tanker contract between General Dynamics NASSCO and SEA-Vista, which calls for the design and construction of three 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 the latest environmental protection features, including a ballast water treatment system, the company said in a statement.
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.
The construction and operation of the new vessels are aligned with the Jones Act, which requires that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards.
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