Americas News
APT Takes Delivery of First of Five Fuel Efficient LNG-Ready ECO Tankers
General Dynamics NASSCO Friday announced that it has delivered the Lone Star State, a newbuild fuel efficient and liquid natural gas (LNG) conversion-ready ECO Class tanker, to American Petroleum Tankers (APT).
As Ship & Bunker reported last year, the Lone Star State is the first of five such Jones Act tankers, designed by Daiwoo Ship Engineering Company of Busan, South Korea, being built for APT at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, U.S. shipyard.
"The delivery of this new vessel symbolises the future of American shipping: innovative, cost-effective, and green," said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.
"The Lone Star State, along with the four others we are currently building for APT, will be among the most fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly tankers—anywhere in the world.
"These tankers are 33 percent more fuel efficient than the previous five tankers built by NASSCO for APT. We are proud to be leading the charge in building these next generation of tankers."
The vessel design is said to feature improved fuel efficiency concepts, including a G-series MAN Diesel & Turbo ME slow-speed main engine, as well as an optimised hull form.
In August, it was reported that Kinder Morgan, Inc. (Kinder Morgan), APT's parent company, had signed a $568 million agreement with Philly Tankers LLC to construct four new fuel efficient, LNG conversion-ready, Jones Act Tier II tankers.
