Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) has been awarded a long-term time charter of an ice-strengthened tanker to support the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC). The U.S. flag vessel will be able to deliver fuel worldwide and is expected to serve the research center at McMurdo Station, Antarctica and Thule Air Base, Greenland.
The award will add a fourth vessel to MLL’s fleet of U.S. flag tankers, and it offers MLL another opportunity to serve a longstanding customer. MLL began supporting MSC in 1983, and has since extended its ship management, technical and chartering services across the U.S. government.
The time charter will begin in November 2011, and it consists of a one-year base with four options. The charter will last 59 months if all options are exercised. The total contract value, including all options and excluding reimbursable expenses, is $71.5 million.