Crowley Christens 2nd LNG-ready Product Tanker

Crowley Maritime Corp. has christened the second of four new Jones Act product tankers yesterday at the South Florida Petroleum Terminal (The Public Dock) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 50,000 dead-weight-ton (dwt), 330,000-barrel-capacity Texas joins sister ship Ohio, which was christened by Crowley in November, as the first ever tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval, meaning Crowley has the option to convert the tanker to liquefied natural gas (LNG) for propulsion in the future.

A small group including representatives from SeaRiver Maritime, the vessel’s charterer, gathered to watch as Doris Evans, wife of Eric Evans, vice president, planning for Crowley’s petroleum services group, performed the time-honored tradition of christening the vessel by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne across the hull. 

Texas was constructed by PSINC (formerly known as Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc.), with construction management services provided by Crowley’s Seattle-based, naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary Jensen Maritime. Two additional product tankers are being built by PSINC for Crowley and have planned deliveries later this year.

The new tankers are based on a design from Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) which incorporates numerous fuel efficiency features, flexible cargo capability and the latest regulatory requirements. Texas is 600 feet long and is capable of carrying crude oil or refined petroleum products.