AMO Currents - Second ECO tanker in SEA-Vista series christened, launched

AMO Currents - Posted: August 31, 2016

Second ECO tanker in SEA-Vista series christened, launched

The Jones Act tanker Constitution, the second in a series of three ships being built for SEA-Vista by General Dynamics NASSCO, was christened and launched Saturday, August 27 at the shipyard in San Diego, Calif.

American Maritime Officers represents all licensed officers working aboard the tankers being built for SEA-Vista, a partnership between SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Avista Capital Partners, which are and will be operated by Seabulk Tankers, Inc. The Constitution's prospective master and chief engineer, Greg Wallace and Eric Ketteringham, attended and participated in the christening and launch events.

As part of the ceremony, the ship's sponsor, Cristin Thorogood - wife of SEACOR Ocean Transport President Dan Thorogood - christened the ship with a traditional champagne bottle break over the hull. Sandi Dunkel, a NASSCO employee for nearly 25 years, pulled the trigger to release the ship into San Diego Bay.

"For those of us not used to the traditions and peculiarities of the shipping industry - people like me - it can be overwhelming to understand its many complexities," Thorogood said during her presentation at the christening and launch ceremony. "However, over the decade or so that I have been part of the SEACOR family, I have grown to appreciate the importance placed upon the safety and the welfare of the ships' crews, and those of the craftsmen who build these vessels. These are key pillars that SEACOR, NASSCO and the industry as whole strive for."

The Constitution is a 610-foot, 50,000 deadweight-ton product tanker with a 330,000-barrel cargo capacity built ready for conversion to use LNG as a fuel. The ECO Class tanker symbolizes the transformation of the U.S. shipping industry toward cleaner, more fuel-efficient modes of transporting product.

"The construction of a ship represents an entire community of highly-trained and highly-skilled individuals working together - from design conception to delivery - toward a common purpose: to revolutionize the future of American shipping with the construction of innovative, cost-saving, and environmentally-sound vessels," said Kevin Graney, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics NASSCO. "The christening and launch of a ship represents the hard-earned efforts of this community. It's the first time a ship enters the water - and it's another milestone toward the delivery of a quality product that will service our nation's maritime needs for decades to come."