General Dynamics NASSCO has delivered the first ship in a series of three ECO Class tankers currently under construction for SEA-Vista LLC. The new tanker symbolizes the emerging direction of the U.S. shipping industry toward cleaner, more fuel-efficient modes of transporting product between American ports.
The ship, the Independence, is a 610-foot, 50,000 deadweight-ton, LNG-conversion-ready product tanker with a 330,000 barrel capacity. Designed by DSEC—a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea—the ship design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN Diesel & Turbo ME slow-speed main engine and an optimized hull form.
The ship includes a Ballast Water Treatment System and is also designed to accommodate future installation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel-gas system.
The construction and operation of the Independence and its sister ships are aligned with the Jones Act, which requires that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards.
Source & Image Credit: General Dynamics NASSCO
