Today General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), delivered the fifth ship of its State-class product carriers to American Petroleum Tankers, LLC, a joint venture of the Blackstone Group. The ship is named Evergreen State, in honor of the state of Washington.
A christening ceremony for Evergreen State (Hull 505) was held to commemorate the ship’s entrance into the U.S. Fleet. The ship’s sponsor was Carol Kurz, wife of American Petroleum Tankers’ Chief Executive Officer Robert Kurz. Carol Kurz broke the traditional bottle of champagne across the ship’s side in front of an audience of about 200 who had gathered at the shipyard to witness the ceremony.
“Completed more than nine months ahead of our original schedule, under budget, and in substantially fewer man-hours than the lead ship of the class, the Evergreen State reflects NASSCO’s high performance in product carrier construction,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.
NASSCO began constructing the Evergreen State in May 2009. At a length of 600.4 feet (183 meters), the environmentally-responsible, double-hulled ship has a cargo capacity of approximately 331,000 barrels and will be used to carry petroleum and chemical products between U.S. ports. With today’s delivery of Evergreen State, General Dynamics NASSCO has now delivered five State-class tankers: the M/T Golden State, M/T Pelican State, M/T Sunshine State, M/T Empire State, and M/T Evergreen State to the U.S. fleet, on time and under budget.