Crowley christens second LNG-ready tanker

Doris Evans, wife of Eric Evans, vice president, planning for Crowley's petroleum services group, breaks the traditional bottle of champagne to christen the ship

FEBRUARY 5, 2016 ­– Crowley Maritime Corp. christened the second of four new, Jones Act product tankers yesterday at the South Florida Petroleum Terminal, in Fort Lauderdale,FL.

The 50,000 dwt, 330,000-barrel-capacity Texas joins sister ship Ohio, which was christened by Crowley in November, as the first ever tankers to receive ABS LNG-Ready Level 1 approval, giving Crowley the option to convert them to LNG fueling in the future.

Both 600 ft ships were constructed at Philly Shipyard (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 under construction by the shipbuilder for planned deliveries later this year.

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.

“Crowley welcomes this industry defining, LNG-ready vessel into service,” said Rob Grune, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum services. “Not only will this be a high -performance vessel capable of meeting or exceeding our customers’ petroleum transportation needs within the U.S.-coastwise trade, it will do so in a way that is more environmentally friendly than those that have come before her.”

Crowley is one of the largest independent operators of petroleum barges and tankers in the U.S., owning and operating a diverse fleet of double-hull tank vessels and an articulated tug barge (ATB) fleet ranging in size from 155,000 bbl to 330,000 bbl capacity. Additionally, Crowley provides tanker management services for other U.S. companies.