The last of eight ships in a class of tankers built by the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego was delivered Wednesday, the company announced.
The Palmetto State — launched in March — was delivered to longtime NASSCO customer American Petroleum Tankers.
The 610-foot-long Palmetto State and its sister ships were designed to be 33 percent more fuel-efficient than their predecessors, according to NASSCO. The vessels can carry 330,000 barrels and were made in a way that they can be easily converted to liquefied natural gas.
Kevin Graney, president of NASSCO, said the ECO tanker class pushed the company to develop more efficient planning and production techniques.
“I credit the success of this program to the thousands of hardworking men and women who contributed to the design, construction and delivery of these ships,” Graney said. “Their dedication to continuous improvement was demonstrated by the hull-to-hull learning we saw over the course of the ECO Class program.”
All eight vessels were built and delivered within three years, according to NASSCO.
The previous ship in the class, the Liberty, was delivered to owner SEA-Vista LLC three months ago. The vessels are designed to sail routes between U.S. ports.
— City News Service
