Elizabeth Leigh
A General Dynamics subsidiary has started work on a five-tanker contract for American Petroleum Tankers with a steel-cutting ceremony held in San Diego last week.
The first of the tankers, the APT-1, is 610 feet long with a load limit of 330,000 barrels of cargo, General Dynamics said Friday.
“Today’s start of construction ceremony signifies our ongoing relationship with American Petroleum Tankers,†Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics NASSCO, said at the event.
GD indicated that NASSCO will build the petroleum tankers with an economical design, outfitting them with energy-efficient, LNG-conversion-ready G-series MAN ME engines and a ballast water treatment system.
“NASSCO is pleased to continue our commitment as good environmental stewards by building the most energy-efficient tankers in the Jones Act fleet and in helping to sustain and grow highly skilled jobs right here in San Diego,” Graney said.
According to Mayor San Diego City Mayor Kevin Faulconer, the project has given the city a boost in “blue tech†jobs creation.
The Jones Act prohibits foreign-flagged and foreign-built vessels from plying their trade within U.S. waters.
