Second LNG Container Ship Delivered

General Dynamics NASSCO has delivered the world's second container ship to be operated by LNG, the Perla Del Caribe. The ship was delivered two months ahead of schedule and is the sister ship of the world's first LNG-powered container ship, the Isla Bella, also built by NASSCO for TOTE Maritime.

As part of a two-ship contract signed in December 2012 with TOTE, the 764-foot long Marlin Class container ships will be the largest dry cargo ships powered by LNG. This green ship technology dramatically decreases emissions and increases fuel efficiency when compared to conventionally-powered ships, the equivalent of removing nearly 16,000 automobiles from the road.

"It has been a pleasure working with the men and women of NASSCO over the last three years to bring the Marlin Class from concept to reality," noted Anthony Chiarello, president and CEO of TOTE. "The Isla Bella is already serving the people and communities of Puerto Rico and we are excited to introduce the Perla Del Caribe into the trade next month."

On December 11, 2015, General Dynamics NASSCO successfully completed bunkering of the Perla Del Caribe. Bunkering services were provided by the California-based company Clean Energy as well as Baker Hughes and Envent during a 48-hour period at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. 

The Perla Del Caribe received 210,000 gallons of LNG which is nearly double the amount bunkered for the Isla Bella. The Isla Bella was delivered to TOTE two months ahead of schedule in October 2015. The Jones Act-qualified ship has been operating between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Since 2005, NASSCO has delivered twelve commercial ships and currently has seven commercial ships in its backlog scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2017. For its commercial work, NASSCO partners with South Korean shipbuilding power, DSME, for access to state-of-the-art ship design and shipbuilding technologies.

Launch of Perla Del Caribe