Ramona Adams
General Dynamics subsidiary NASSCO has christened the second of five ECO-class tankers it builds for American Petroleum Tankers in the former’s San Diego shipyard.
The Magnolia State is one of five 610-foot tankers that are designed to feature a 330,000-barrel cargo capacity and support future LNG fuel-gas system installation, General Dynamics said Monday.
The company added that the five-tanker contract from APT also works to support compliance with the Jones Act, which mandates that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports should be built in U.S. shipyards as part of efforts to preserve jobs.
“San Diego’s shipbuilding industry currently supports as many as 14,000 local jobs,” said Rep. Scott Peters (D-California).
“Part of this is due to the Navy’s rebalance to the Pacific, but it’s also due to significant private contracts such as this one.”
The ECO-class tankers were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of South Korea-based Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, General Dynamics noted.
