ConocoPhillips to Christen New Towboat

The third of four new towboats, which have received American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classification, will be christened by ConocoPhillips next week. The christening ceremony for Innovator will be held a Port of Orange in Orange, Texas, on May 14, 2003 at 10 a.m. The first two towboats, Spirit and Integrity were christened in January and March respectively. The final vessel, Liberty, will be christened in June. Orange Shipbuilding, built the vessels, which have safety enhancement such as fuel shutdowns, fire detection systems and fire fighting systems. In addition, they are equipped with double-hull fuel tanks and five-blade propellers that are more efficient and reduce hull vibration by as much as 50 percent compared to a conventional four-blade propeller.