On September 23, 2016, Californian shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO held a keel laying ceremony for the Palmetto State, the fifth ECO Class tanker being built for crude oil transporter American Petroleum Tankers (APT).
The Palmetto State is the eighth ship to be constructed as part of an eight-ship ECO Class tanker program for two customers including APT and SEA-Vista LLC .
The first five ships of the program have been delivered and are currently servicing the Jones Act trade. The remaining three ships are under construction with delivery dates scheduled for the near future. The Palmetto State is scheduled to be delivered to American Petroleum Tankers in 2017.
Each ship of the ECO Class program is a 610-foot-long, 50,000 dwt, LNG-conversion-ready product tanker with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity.
The tankers were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea.
Earlier this month, NASSCO christened APT’s fourth ECO Class tanker, the Bay State, at its shipyard in San Diego.
The first three ECO Class ships, namely, the Lone Star State, the Magnolia State, and the Garden State, were delivered earlier and are in service.