San Diego-based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO christened the Liberty, the third ECO Class tanker under contract with SEA-Vista LLC on December 17.
The 610-foot-long, 50,000 deadweight ton, liquefied natural gas-conversion-ready ECO Class tanker is the third out of three tankers ordered by SEA-Vista, a partnership between SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Avista Capital Partners.
The ship’s ECO design is said to achieve 33 percent increased fuel efficiency through several features, including a G-series MAN ME slow-speed main engine and an optimized hull form.
The construction and operation of the new ECO Class tankers is aligned with the Jones Act, requiring that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards.
Earlier this year, NASSCO delivered the first two ECO Class tankers for SEA-Vista LLC – the Independence and the Constitution .
The new tankers, designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea, are a continuation of the ECO MR Tanker design, which includes a Ballast Water Treatment System.