The following is the text of a news release from General Dynamics NASSCO:
(SAN DIEGO) — On Wednesday, General Dynamics NASSCO delivered Liberty, the third and final ship to be constructed for SEA-Vista LLC as part of a larger eight-ship ECO-class tanker program.
In 2013, NASSCO entered into an agreement with SEA-Vista to design and build three 50,000-deadweight-ton, LNG-conversion-ready product carriers to include a 330,000-barrel cargo capacity each. The 610-foot-long tankers are a new ECO design, offering improved fuel efficiency and cleaner shipping options. Construction for the first of the three ships for SEA-Vista LLC began in November 2014. The first two ships — Independence and Constitution — have been delivered and are servicing the Jones Act trade.
Liberty is the seventh vessel in an eight-ship ECO-class tanker program for two separate customers, SEA-Vista LLC and American Petroleum Tankers (APT). The eighth ship of the program, Palmetto State, is scheduled to be christened and launched on March 25 at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
NASSCO is the only major shipyard on the west coast of the United States conducting design, construction and repair of commercial and U.S. Navy ships. In the past decade, NASSCO delivered 29 oceangoing ships to government and commercial customers — including the world’s first LNG-powered containerships. In 2015 and 2016, NASSCO processed a record 60,000 tons of steel per year.
For its commercial work, NASSCO partners with South Korean ship designer, Daewoo Ship Engineering Company (DSEC), for access to state-of-the-art ship design and shipbuilding technologies.
