Posted:
September 21, 2016
The Bay State - the fourth Jones Act tanker in a series of five being built for American Petroleum Tankers (APT) by General Dynamics NASSCO - was christened September 17 at a ceremony held at the shipyard in San Diego, Calif. The ship successfully completed sea trials prior to being christened.
American Maritime Officers represents all licensed officers working aboard the tankers built for APT by NASSCO.
Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) delivered the keynote address at the ceremony and the ship was christened by Melissa DeVeau.
The APT contract with NASSCO calls for the design and construction of five 50,000-deadweight-ton 610-foot-long ECO Class product tankers built ready for conversion to use LNG as a fuel. The first three ships of the ECO Class program for APT - the Lone Star State, Magnolia State and Garden State - are delivered and in service. The fifth and final ship under the contract with APT is scheduled to be delivered in 2017.
"After another great christening ceremony, we now look forward to soon taking delivery of the Bay State, our fourth NASSCO-built, ECO Class tanker," said Rob Kurz, vice president of Kinder Morgan Terminals and president of American Petroleum Tankers, a Kinder Morgan, Inc. subsidiary. "This state-of-the-art vessel will be another welcome addition to our growing fleet - one that will provide safe and reliable transportation for our customers in the decades ahead. We applaud our partners at NASSCO for making this day possible."
During his presentation, Kurz emphasized the vital roles of the Jones Act.
"I'm reminded of how important the Jones Act is to our nation's defense capability and economic security," he said. "It is a vital component of our country's military strategy, one that relies on U.S.-flag vessels and crews and a vibrant shipbuilding base to support our national defense requirements."
Kurz cited a Lexington Institute study, noting: "Were the Jones Act not in existence, the Department of Homeland Security would be confronted by the difficult and very costly task of monitoring, regulating and overseeing all foreign-controlled, foreign-crewed vessels in internal U.S. waters."
He continued: "With respect to the magnitude of its impact on the U.S. economy, about 40,000 Jones Act vessels operating in the Jones Act trades support nearly 500,000 American jobs and close to $100 billion in overall annual economic activity.
"Clearly, this essential law helps make our country stronger and safer and we certainly would not be here today celebrating the christening of the Bay State if there was no Jones Act," Kurz said.
During his keynote address, Rep. Vargas cited the role of the Jones Act in U.S. shipbuilding, and the role of the NASSCO shipyard in the successful construction and delivery of commercial and military vessels. He also commented on the statements made by Kurz.
"I was so happy to hear the words we heard about the Jones Act because it is so vital ... for our national defense, for our military strategy," Rep. Vargas said. "We never want to be caught with the inability to build ships and defend ourselves from threats from abroad."
The construction and operation of the new ECO Class tankers are aligned with the Jones Act, requiring that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards, crewed by U.S. mariners and owned and operated by U.S. companies.
"The christening of a ship is to wish good fortune to those sailing in her and to celebrate the thousands of hardworking men and women who constructed the ship," said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics NASSCO. "Even more, we celebrate the significance of the Bay State and her sister ships in the ECO Class program. Upon each respective delivery, the ships constructed as part of this partnership with American Petroleum Tankers will join the ranks as some of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly tankers in the world."
The Bay State, along with others in the ECO Class, are the first in the Jones Act fleet to obtain a PMA+ Notation, representing compliance with one of the highest standards of human factors in engineering design. The PMA+ notation is created to facilitate safe access to vessel structure and spaces in ways that are rooted in the fundamentals of human ergonomics.
The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea. The design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN ME slow-speed main engine and an optimized hull form.
New jobs for AMO as fourth Jones Act tanker in APT series is christened at NASSCO
The Bay State - the fourth Jones Act tanker in a series of five being built for American Petroleum Tankers (APT) by General Dynamics NASSCO - was christened September 17 at a ceremony held at the shipyard in San Diego, Calif. The ship successfully completed sea trials prior to being christened.
American Maritime Officers represents all licensed officers working aboard the tankers built for APT by NASSCO.
Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) delivered the keynote address at the ceremony and the ship was christened by Melissa DeVeau.
The APT contract with NASSCO calls for the design and construction of five 50,000-deadweight-ton 610-foot-long ECO Class product tankers built ready for conversion to use LNG as a fuel. The first three ships of the ECO Class program for APT - the Lone Star State, Magnolia State and Garden State - are delivered and in service. The fifth and final ship under the contract with APT is scheduled to be delivered in 2017.
"After another great christening ceremony, we now look forward to soon taking delivery of the Bay State, our fourth NASSCO-built, ECO Class tanker," said Rob Kurz, vice president of Kinder Morgan Terminals and president of American Petroleum Tankers, a Kinder Morgan, Inc. subsidiary. "This state-of-the-art vessel will be another welcome addition to our growing fleet - one that will provide safe and reliable transportation for our customers in the decades ahead. We applaud our partners at NASSCO for making this day possible."
During his presentation, Kurz emphasized the vital roles of the Jones Act.
"I'm reminded of how important the Jones Act is to our nation's defense capability and economic security," he said. "It is a vital component of our country's military strategy, one that relies on U.S.-flag vessels and crews and a vibrant shipbuilding base to support our national defense requirements."
Kurz cited a Lexington Institute study, noting: "Were the Jones Act not in existence, the Department of Homeland Security would be confronted by the difficult and very costly task of monitoring, regulating and overseeing all foreign-controlled, foreign-crewed vessels in internal U.S. waters."
He continued: "With respect to the magnitude of its impact on the U.S. economy, about 40,000 Jones Act vessels operating in the Jones Act trades support nearly 500,000 American jobs and close to $100 billion in overall annual economic activity.
"Clearly, this essential law helps make our country stronger and safer and we certainly would not be here today celebrating the christening of the Bay State if there was no Jones Act," Kurz said.
During his keynote address, Rep. Vargas cited the role of the Jones Act in U.S. shipbuilding, and the role of the NASSCO shipyard in the successful construction and delivery of commercial and military vessels. He also commented on the statements made by Kurz.
"I was so happy to hear the words we heard about the Jones Act because it is so vital ... for our national defense, for our military strategy," Rep. Vargas said. "We never want to be caught with the inability to build ships and defend ourselves from threats from abroad."
The construction and operation of the new ECO Class tankers are aligned with the Jones Act, requiring that ships carrying cargo between U.S. ports be built in U.S. shipyards, crewed by U.S. mariners and owned and operated by U.S. companies.
"The christening of a ship is to wish good fortune to those sailing in her and to celebrate the thousands of hardworking men and women who constructed the ship," said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics NASSCO. "Even more, we celebrate the significance of the Bay State and her sister ships in the ECO Class program. Upon each respective delivery, the ships constructed as part of this partnership with American Petroleum Tankers will join the ranks as some of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly tankers in the world."
The Bay State, along with others in the ECO Class, are the first in the Jones Act fleet to obtain a PMA+ Notation, representing compliance with one of the highest standards of human factors in engineering design. The PMA+ notation is created to facilitate safe access to vessel structure and spaces in ways that are rooted in the fundamentals of human ergonomics.
The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea. The design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN ME slow-speed main engine and an optimized hull form.