General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), delivered the third ship of its State-class of product carriers to American Petroleum Tankers, LLC, a joint venture of the Blackstone Group. The ship is named Sunshine State, the state nickname of Fla.
NASSCO began constructing the Sunshine State in August 2007. At a length of 600.4 feet, the double-hulled ship has a cargo capacity of approximately 331,000 barrels and will be used to carry petroleum and chemical products in Jones Act service between U.S. ports.
“Completed 11 months ahead of our original schedule and under budget, the Sunshine State is the third product carrier NASSCO has delivered this year and reflects greatly upon the skilled shipbuilders in San Diego,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “Overall, 2009 has been an outstanding year for the NASSCO shipbuilding team and our partners, with three product carriers now in the U.S commercial fleet and two dry cargo-ammunition ships delivered to the U.S. Navy this year.”
(www.nassco.com)