AHL Shipping tanker newbuild program in trouble

Things look to have gone wrong with the American Heavy Lift Shipping project to build three 335,000 barrel product tankers, for charter to Shell, in modules at several sites for assembly at Atlantic Marine.

The single-ship companies set up for each of the three tankers, namely Dos Raven Tankships, LLC, Keet Seel Tankships, LLC and First Mesa Tankships, LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 2.

On the same date, Houma Industries LLC of Georgia has filed a suit in Louisiana Eastern District Court seeking $4 million in damages from the single-ship companies and from AHL Shipping.

Houma Industries took over that part of the tanker project that was originally to have been undertaken by R&R Marine which was destroyed by Hurricane Ike and closed down.