Crowley Maritime Corp., a U.S. privately held family and employee-owned company, has christened its fourth of four LNG-ready Jones Act product tankers ordered in 2014. The fourth vessel, named MT West Virginia in Philadelphia at Philly Shipyard, Inc., is being prepared for the U.S. coastwise trade.
The West Virginia, which can later be converted for propulsion by liquefied natural gas (LNG), joins sister ships Louisiana, Ohio and Texas received by Crowley in 2015 and 2016. They are the first tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval.
The new tankers are based on a proven Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) design that incorporates numerous fuel efficiency features, flexible cargo capability and the latest regulatory requirements. At 600 feet long, West Virginia is 50,000 dead-weight-tons (dwt) and capable of carrying 330,000 barrels of product. The tanker is capable of carrying crude oil or refined petroleum products, as well as various chemical cargoes.
(Source: Crowley Maritime)
