National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) recently announced it has floated out Hull 484, the first of four Alaska Class double-hull oil tankers being built for BP Oil Shipping Company, USA. The ship — which will be operated by SIU-contracted Alaska Tanker Co. (ATC) — will be finished dockside in preparation for delivery in June 2004.The vessel will be named the Alaskan Frontier.
The San Diego-based shipyard also held a keel-laying ceremony for Hull 485, the second double-hull oil tanker being constructed for BP. The second ship is scheduled to be delivered in November 2004, with subsequent ships to be delivered in 2005 and 2006.
Those vessels will deliver Alaska North Slope crude oil to refineries on the U.S. West Coast. Delivery of the ships will satisfy the commitment BP made as part of an agreement with the state of Alaska to accelerate (by an average of one year) the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 retirement dates of non-double hull vessels in BP’s chartered Alaska fleet.
Each of the new tankers will be designed to last at least 35 years to as long as 50 years. Each will be 941 feet long with a 164-foot beam, a capacity of 1.3 million barrels and a design draft of 61.5 feet.
BP reported that each ship is being built with redundant propulsion and steering systems which include twin diesel-electric power systems in segregated engine rooms, twin propellers and twin rudders. Use of diesel-electric propulsion systems will reduce air emissions at sea and in port while reducing maintenance “down time.”
To help eliminate accidental oil leaks, the propeller shafts will be cooled and lubricated with seawater instead of lubricating oil. Cargo piping will be installed in the cargo tanks, instead of on deck, to reduce the risk of small spills. The ships will be fitted with state-of-the-art machinery and cargo control systems and an integrated navigation system.
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