Alaska Tanker Company News

U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG) on Thursday announced it has reached an agreement with BP Oil Shipping Company to purchase the Jones Act compliant crude oil tanker Alaskan Frontier.Built by General Dynamics NASSCO in 2004, the 1.3-million-barrel capacity tanker is a sister to three other Alaskan Class vessels operated by OSG’s wholly owned subsidiary, Alaskan Tanker Company. It was part of Alaska Tanker Company's active fleet  until 2019 when the vessel was placed in cold lay-up in Labuan, Malaysia.OSG said it expects the transaction will be completed in early November. Afterward, the company intends to reactivate the tanker…

Overseas Shipholding Group, the tanker company providing energy transportation services for crude oil and petroleum products in the U.S. Flag markets, has entered into agreements with BP Oil Shipping Company USA and BP AMI Leasing to purchase the crude oil carrier vessels operated by Alaska Tanker Company (ATC).OSG currently owns a 37.5% interest in ATC. As part of the above transaction, OSG will acquire the remaining 62.5% interest of ATC that it does not own.According to the publicly traded tanker company, the agreements provide for deposits equal to 20% of the purchase price to be paid upon their execution, with the balance of the consideration to be paid at closing.Closing of the purchases is subject to various conditions…

The Alaskan Frontier, a Suezmax tanker typically used to transport Alaskan North Slope crude to West Coast refineries, is scheduled to retire, according to vessel operator Alaska Tanker Company. The U.S.-flagged vessel is one of a few that comply with the Jones Act, a maritime law that requires shipments between U.S. ports to take place on U.S.-built and manned vessels. A source, who requested anonymity, said the ship would be retired in June, but the company did not confirm the timing. The Alaska Tanker Company fleet is time chartered to transport BP Plc's Alaska North Slope production.

The State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College announced Friday that two student cadets, Julia Paxton of Sebastopol, California, and Brandon Baranyar of Fairfield, Connecticut, have been selected as recipients of the 2014 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Paxton and Baranyar both are members of the College’s Regiment of Cadets, and both are scheduled to graduate from SUNY Maritime next week. In a ceremony held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center last month, SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher honored the more than 300 college students from campuses throughout the state, presenting 274 SUNY students with the 2014 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, and 68 awards from Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society.

The 14th Annual California Maritime Leadership Symposium, slated to take place February 19-20 at the Sacramento Convention Center, attracts key members from California’s State Legislature and representatives from California’s ports and the maritime industry. The symposium aims to encourage productive dialogue among maritime industry leaders and communicate port needs to California decision makers. The symposium is hosted by a broad-based coalition of the maritime industry, headed up by the California Association of Port Authorities…

The Marine Vessel Environmental Performance (MVeP) Assessment was presented November 4th, 2010 at the SNAME Annual Meeting. This is the work of SNAME T&R Panel EV-10 previously Ad-hoc Panel 19. Eleanor Nick Kirtley and Tim Leach of the Glosten Associates presented to an audience of about 50. The Glosten Associates also featured MVeP at their booth in the Expo where many conference attendees were able to speak with the presenters and other participants including Matt Winkler, VP of Seaworthy Systems – Roll Royce. In Phase 1, MVeP developed a checklist of environmental impacts resulting from marine vessels. Each impact can be assessed on its own merit, and the compilation of all assessments makes clear the trade-offs of various measures giving a holistic view of the ship’s performance.

Crowley continued to reward exemplary students at maritime schools around the country this week, presenting Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to four deserving midshipmen from the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at the Containerization and Intermodal Institute's Connie Awards dinner in Newark, N.J. The USMMA cadets Christina Becker, David Irish, Lesley Walz and Gregory Otto were recognized with Crowley scholarships for their strong academic records, leadership capacity and financial need.

The October 7th Annual Membership Conference for members of American Maritime Safety, Inc., was not officially billed as a 23rd anniversary event. Nevertheless, the story of AMS, an organization established by a group of U.S. based vessel owners and operators, is worthy of special mention. Indeed, this New York based Maritime Consortium has rapidly expanded in scope since its founding in 1988. From humble beginnings in New York, AMS has grown to over 400 vessel owners and operators and is now recognized as the leading industry association on regulatory compliance in the U.S.

The United Seamen’s Service (USS) 2009 40th Annual Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards (AOTOS) were presented to Donald Kurz, President and CEO of Keystone Shipping Co., headquartered in Philadelphia, and to Ronald Widdows, Group President and CEO of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) of Singapore, parent company of American President Lines (APL). A Special AOTOS Award was also presented to The United States Coast Guard. The maritime industry’s most prestigious honors were awarded at a gala industry dinner and dance held at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, New York City, on November 13, 2009.

The United Seamen's Service (USS) 2009 40th Annual Admiral of the Ocean Sea Awards (AOTOS) will be presented to Donald Kurz, President and CEO of Keystone Shipping Co., headquartered in Philadelphia, and to Ronald Widdows, Group President and CEO of NOL (Neptune Orient Lines) of Singapore, parent company of American President Lines (APL). A Special AOTOS Award will also be presented to the United States Coast Guard. The maritime industry's most prestigious honors will be awarded at a gala industry dinner and dance to be held at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, New York City, on November 13, 2009. Richard Hughes, Chairman of the USS AOTOS Committee and President of the International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO, made the announcement on the occasion of the USS Annual meeting.

BP has placed an order for a fourth double-hull oil tanker for use in delivering Alaska North Slope crude oil to refineries on the west coast. BP placed orders for three tankers in September 2000. Construction of the 1.3-million-barrel-capacity tankers will begin in early 2002. National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) of San Diego is scheduled to deliver the first ship in late 2003 with subsequent ships being delivered in 2004, 2005 and 2006. BP will complete conversion of its Alaska fleet to double hulls in 2006. The four-ship order, with options for two additional tankers, has been matched to BP?s Alaskan production plans for the next decade.

The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) invites maritime industry representatives to attend the SOCP's October 7-8, 2003, meeting on the Eastern Shore at Piney Point, MD. SOCP’s packed agenda features guest speakers Captain William G. Schubert, Maritime Administrator, RADM Thomas Gilmour, USCG Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, Ms. Marjorie Murtagh, National Transportation Safety Board and Mr. Anil Mathur, Alaska Tanker Company CEO. Presentations include: Short Sea Shipping; Smart Tow; Intermodal Freight Opportunities on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System-SE Michigan, along with technical presentations on GPS Based Cargo Tracking Systems; and Cargo Container Advanced 3-D Scanning which will round out the first day’s agenda.

Alaska Tanker Company, LLC (ATC) based in Beaverton (Portland), Oregon has achieved "Safety, Quality and Environmental (SQE) Certification" including Accredited International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 Certification to the Environmental Management System Standard on November 21st, 2001. This accomplishment makes ATC the first U.S. flag seagoing Shipping Company to attain SQE and ISO 14001 Certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). This feat was achieved within 2 ½ years of ATC's inception. The attainment of Certification to the International Safety Management (ISM) Code as well as ISO 9001 (Quality Management System Standard) and ISO 14001 demonstrates the Company's commitment to be a World-Class tanker operator.

Twenty-four prominent shipping industry executives have been elected as new Members of ABS bringing the classification society's worldwide membership to 817. The members, each eminent in their maritime field of endeavor, provide broad governance and oversight of ABS. Members are drawn from various sectors of the marine, offshore and related industries worldwide. Timothy J. Lawrence R. James J. John R. RADM. Robert C. Vittorio Portunato, Managing Director, Portunato & C.S.R.L. John F. Reinhart, CEO, Maersk Line. William J. H. W.

Mid last month General Dynamics divulged that its National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) unit had won a lucrative and much sought after contract to build three double hull tankers for BP. The deal, worth approximately $630 million, calls for a tanker trio which will carry crude from Valdez, Alaska, to U.S. West Coast ports. The contract includes options for three additional vessels, driving the potential price-tag for the project to well more than $1 billion. The design will put strong emphasis on environmental safety, including redundant diesel-electric propulsion systems in independent engine rooms, two propellers, and twin rudders. The ship will incorporate the latest, proven technology in environmental protection, ship navigation, and cargo control systems.

Mid last month, General Dynamics divulged that its National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) unit had won a lucrative and much sought after contract to build three double hull tankers for BP. The deal, worth approximately $630 million, calls for a tanker trio which will carry crude from Valdez, Alaska, to U.S. West Coast ports. The contract includes options for three additional vessels, driving the potential price-tag for the project to well more than $1 billion. The design will put strong emphasis on environmental safety, including redundant diesel-electric propulsion systems in independent engine rooms, two propellers, and twin rudders. The ship will incorporate the latest, proven technology in environmental protection, ship navigation, and cargo control systems.

The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force will hold its 2002 annual meeting in Tacoma on July 23. The meeting will last from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel, 1320 Broadway Plaza, and is open to the news media and the public. The task force was formed in 1989 to coordinate oil-spill prevention and response policies that cover some 55,826 miles of coastline, from the Beaufort Sea to the Baja Peninsula, plus the Hawaiian islands. The theme for this year's meeting, Doing It Right: Balancing Regulatory and Non-Regulatory Approaches, will focus on the roles that government regulators and private industry play in reducing the number and severity of oil spills.

The waters of North Puget Sound will come under even greater environmental protection when Crowley's ship assist and escort services group deploys its newest tug named Response to escort and assist oil tankers there. The swift, powerful tug will be christened at noon Friday, August 2nd, at Pier 66 in Elliott Bay and be put into service shortly thereafter. Deicy Mathur, wife of Anil Mathur, President of the Alaska Tanker Company, LLC, will perform the christening ceremony aboard the Response. A team of Crowley engineers and architects designed the Response, with input from Crowley's ship assist and escort customer, Alaska Tanker Company. Marco Shipyard built the tug in Seattle. Maritime.

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO, www.nassco.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has joined BP p.l.c. in naming the Alaskan Explorer, the second of four Alaska-class double-hull oil tankers being built for BP Oil Shipping Company, USA. Maureen Hayward, spouse of Tony Hayward, Group Chief Executive of Exploration and Production for BP, was the ship's sponsor, officially naming the Alaskan Explorer and striking a ceremonial bottle of champagne across the ship's hull.

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) delivered the Alaskan Frontier, the first of four Alaska-class double-hull oil tankers being built for BP Oil Shipping Company, USA. Touted as state-of-the-art ships and environmentally friendly — backed by an innovative diesel-electric propulsion system, with redundant engines, shafts and screws, significantly increases reliability and reduces air emissions and maintenance downtime — the ship has been designed for a life of 35 years with a deck structure designed for a life of 50 years. The ship uses seawater instead of oil to cool and lubricate their propeller shafts, thus eliminating the possibility of accidental oil leaks. Their cargo piping, normally installed on the deck, is inside the cargo tanks, to reduce the risk of small spills.

The waters of North Puget Sound are now under even greater environmental protection since Crowley’s ship assist and escort services group deployed its newest tug named Response to escort and assist oil tankers there. The swift, powerful tug was christened at noon Friday, August 2nd, at Pier 66 in Elliott Bay and will be put into service shortly hereafter. Under brilliant sunny skies, Deicy Mathur, wife of Anil Mathur, President of the Alaska Tanker Company, LLC, performed the christening ceremony aboard the Response. Over 300 invited guests and the news media had the opportunity to tour the boat. Two other Crowley tugs joined in the ceremony by blowing their horns alerting other passing vessels to do the same.

Tank ships operated by the Alaska Tanker Company (ATC), ALASKAN NAVIGATOR and the ALASKAN FRONTIER were outfitted with new anchors and are back in service. Two other tank ships, the ALASKAN LEGAND and ALASKAN EXPLORER each had a new temporary anchor installed and are operating under restrictions outlined by the Coast Guard. The decision to replace all the anchors on these vessels were made by ATC after it was discovered the original anchors were showing signs of metal failure. The Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology and Alaska Tanker Co. are still investigating the cause of the failure of the anchors.

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has delivered the Alaskan Explorer, the second of four Alaska-class double-hull oil tankers being built for BP Oil Shipping Company, USA, a subsidiary of BP p.l.c. "We had very successful sea trials with the Alaskan Explorer," said Richard Vortmann, NASSCO president. The Alaskan Explorer will join her sister ship, the Alaskan Frontier, which was delivered in August 2004 and is delivering oil from Alaska to West Coast ports, including BP refineries in Los Angeles, Calif., and Cherry Point, Wash. The third ship will be delivered in late 2005 and the fourth ship in 2006. These state-of-the-art ships are the most environmentally friendly oil tankers ever built.