Notable U.S. Newbuilds of 2015

Currently there are 124 shipyards in the U.S., which are spread across 26 states. Meanwhile, the industry supports over 110,000 jobs and the the industry witnessed some ground-breaking deliveries:

The World’s First LNG-Powered Container Ship

General Dynamics NASSCO has delivered the world’s first LNG powered container ship, the Isla Bella, to TOTE Maritime in October. The ship was delivered nearly two months ahead of schedule. 

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. The Jones Act-qualified ships will operate between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In the past decade, NASSCO delivered eleven commercial ships and currently has ten commercial ships in its backlog, including the two Marlin Class containerships for TOTE. For its commercial work, NASSCO partners with South Korean shipbuilding power, DSME, for access to state-of-the-art ship design and shipbuilding technologies.

ECO Tankers

On December 4, General Dynamics NASSCO delivered the company’s first ECO Class tanker, the Lone Star State, to American Petroleum Tankers (APT). The new ECO Class tanker symbolizes the emerging direction of the shipping industry in the U.S. toward cleaner, more fuel-efficient modes of transporting product.

The tanker is the first of a five-tanker contract between NASSCO and APT, which calls for the design and construction of five 50,000 deadweight-ton, LNG-conversion-ready product tankers with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity. The 610-foot-long tankers are a new “ECO” design, offering significantly improved fuel efficiency and the latest environmental protection features including a Ballast Water Treatment System.

The ships were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea. The design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN Diesel & Turbo ME slow-speed main engine and an optimized hull form. The tankers will also have the ability to accommodate future installation of an LNG fuel-gas system.

The First LNG-Ready Product Tanker

In November, Crowley Maritime Corp. christened the first of four new, Jones Act product tankers. The 50,000 dead-weight-tons (dwt), 330,000-barrel-capacity ship named Ohio is the first tanker ever to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval, meaning Crowley has the option to convert the tanker to liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion in the future.

Ohio was constructed by Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, with construction management services provided by Crowley’s Seattle-based, naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary Jensen Maritime. The remaining three product tankers have planned deliveries through 2016.

The new tankers are based on a proven Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) design which incorporates numerous fuel efficiency features, flexible cargo capability and the latest regulatory requirements. Ohio is 600 feet long and is capable of carrying crude oil or refined petroleum products. 

The First LNG-Fuelled OSVs

Harvey Energy, the first LNG vessel operating in the United States, entered service this year, followed by the Harvey Power. Both vessels are part of a series of six LNG OSVs being built by Gulf Coast Shipyard Group for Harvey Gulf International Marine.

Along with being able to operate on LNG, the vessels meet the criteria of the ABS Enviro+ Green Passport notation. When operating on LNG, these vessels exceeds the new Tier IV emissions regulations requiring lower sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides emissions as part of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA). 

The vessels will refuel with LNG at Harvey Gulf’s new LNG bunkering facility at Port Fourchon in southern Louisiana. 

Running on 99 percent LNG fuel (it is dual fuel), Harvey Power is a 310 x 64 x 24.5 foot platform supply vessel powered by three Wärtsilä 6L34DF dual fuel gensets, providing 7.5MW of power and fueled by a Wärtsilä provided LNGPac system. With 5,219 metric tons of  deadweight the  vessel is capable of carrying 253,000 gallons of fuel oil, 18,000 bbls of liquid mud, 1,600 bbls of methanol, 10,250 cubic feet of dry cement and 73,000 gallons of LNG fuel. 

When operating on LNG the Harvey Power can operate in excess of 19 day in normal Gulf of Mexico rig supply mode between refueling.

A Unique Ultra-Light Intervention Vessel

Bordelon Marine took delivery of the Brandon Bordelon, a unique ultra-light intervention vessel (ULIV) earlier this year. The vessel was built at Bordelon Marine Shipbuilders in Houma, Louisiana.

The highly specialized vessel features a helideck, a 60 ton crane with 3,000m of wire and a mezzanine deck with internal office and control rooms capable of supporting two full work class ROV systems. The vessel also offers 6,200 square feet of clear useable deck space.

Brandon is designed with removable bulwarks around the entire aft of vessel along with power, water, air and hydraulic oil connections on the deck. The vessel is also equipped with four additional below deck Tier 3 generators, providing fully redundant power to the crane and ROV systems.

The Most Advanced ATB

Bouchard Transportation launched barge B. No. 270 in May, the first of two articulated tug barge (ATB) units constructed by VT Halter Marine, Inc.
 
Barge B. No. 270 was launched at the Pascagoula Shipyard Operations in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The tug, Kim M. Bouchard, part of the ATB unit, was launched at the Moss Point Marine facility in Escatawpa, Mississippi, in February. 

Barge B. No. 270 measures 625 feet by 91 feet by 47 feet, has a 250,000-barrel capacity, and is ABS and USCG certified for Jones Act service. The Kim M. Bouchard is a 10,000hp twin screw ATB tug and is classed by ABS as XA1 Towing Vessel, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter M, and is equipped with an Intercon Coupler System. 

According to Bouchard, once married, the Kim and B. No. 270 will be Bouchard’s eighteenth ATB unit and the safest and most technologically advanced unit of its kind. 

The Largest, Most Expensive Destroyer

On December 7, the U.S. Navy's largest and most expensive destroyer ever headed out from Bath Iron Works for sea trials. The $4.4 billion, 16,000 ton Zumwalt is the first of her class and a showpiece for many technological firsts as well.
 
Zumwalt's tumblehome hull and composite superstructure are designed to reduce her radar cross-section to that of a small fishing boat, and she has electric final drive, with four large Rolls-Royce turbine generators providing an abundance of power.

For armament, in addition to conventional guided missiles, she is fitted with two automated 6-inch turret guns capable of ten rounds a minute each, the largest on a Navy vessel since World War II. 

The Navy’s 13th Virginia Class Submarine

General Dynamics Electric Boat christened the Illinois (SSN 786), the 13th submarine of the U.S. Navy’s Virginia Class, in October. 

Virginia-class submarines are among the most effective platforms in the Navy’s portfolio. In addition to anti-submarine, anti-surface ship and counter-mine warfare, Illinois will support surveillance, special operations and covert strike missions.

The Virginia class are the first U.S. Navy combatants designed for the post-Cold War era. Unobtrusive, non-provocative and connected with land, air, sea and space-based assets, Illinois and the other Virginia-class submarines are equipped to wage multi-dimensional warfare around the globe, providing the U.S. Navy with continued dominance in coastal waters or the open ocean.

With its construction partner Newport News Shipbuilding, Electric Boat has delivered 12 Virginia-class submarines; another nine are under construction.

The Flexible Littoral Combat Ship: USS Little Rock

Littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Little Rock was launched Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in July.

USS Little Rock will use interchangeable mission modules that empower her to face a variety of high-priority missions. She will be a launch pad for aircraft (manned and unmanned) and unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. 

Depending on its mission package (which requires only a three-day turnaround), the ship can conduct anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare or mine countermeasures missions. Little Rock has a built-in capacity for growth, with sensor packages and equipment designed using open architecture and already linked to a vast network across the U.S. Navy fleet.

Little Rock will be the fifth in the fleet of the odd-numbered Freedom variant, featuring a steel double-chine advanced semi-planing monohull design. The even-numbered LCSs are of the Independence-variant featuring stabilized slender monohulls of aluminum.

Little Rock is one of seven littoral combat ships under construction at Marinette Marine.  

The 12th Monohull LCS

In November, Austal rolled out and launched the nation’s twelfth littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Omaha (LCS 12), at facility in Mobile, Alabama. This marks the third ship Austal has rolled out and launched this year.

Omaha, a 419-foot Independence-variant LCS, is the fourth vessel Austal has launched as part of a $3.5 billion 10-ship block buy contract.

This Austal built and designed Independence-variant LCS combines superior seakeeping, endurance, and speed with the volume and payload capacity needed to support emerging missions enabling rapid response to ever-evolving missions, technologies and future threats.

Six littoral combat ships, along with four expeditionary fast transports (formerly named joint high speed vessels), are currently under construction in Austal’s Alabama facility.