Americas News
General Dynamics to Build World's First LNG Containerships
General Dynamics NASSCO, a subsidiary of General Dynamics [NYSE:GD] says that TOTE Shipholdings, a subsidiary of TOTE Inc., has contracted it to build the world's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered containerships, which are also expected to be the largest ships in the world to be primarily LNG powered.
The shipbuilder calls the two 3,100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containerships "the greenest ships of their size in the world," and will deliver them by the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 from the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
"This project breaks new ground in green ship technology," said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.
"It adds to our design and production capabilities and validates our reputation as one of the nation's leading shipyards for commercial and government new-construction shipbuilding."
According to the press release, the vessels will operate between Jacksonville, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico using either fuel oil or LNG, which will "significantly decrease" their emissions, and will also include a ballast water treatment system.
The contract also includes options for three additional ships.
DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) will design the ships, which will include DSME's LNG fuel-gas system and a MAN ME-GI dual fuel slow speed engine.
TOTE subsidiary Totem Ocean Trailer Express said in August that it is converting two ORCA-class vessels operating between Tacoma, Washington and Alaska to use LNG bunkers.
The company received conditional exemption from the North American Emissions Control Area sulfur caps during the conversion.
