Alabama Shipyard In Talks With Danish Shipbuilder

Alabama Shipyard, Inc. (ASI), Mobile, Ala., is in talks with a Danish shipbuilder which could lead to cooperation on the construction of 40,000-dwt double-hulled product tankers.

According to Danny Sellers, president of Atlantic Marine Holding Company, Inc. (parent company of ASI), ASI is discussing the possibility of constructing tankers with technical assistance from Burmeister & Wain Shipdesign A/S (BWSD) of Copenhagen. Mr. Sellers said BWSD would provide "the design and technical know-how it has gained in years of constructing double-hull tankers in Copenhagen." BWSD has built double-hull ships since 1984. The vessels were the CPT54E Series 90,000-cubic-meter product carriers and the BCT70 Series 74,000-dwt bulk/OBO carriers.

The Danish firm recently introduced the new generation BCT85 Panamax OBO/product carrier, which is designed with a double hull, as required in the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and conforms with U.S.

Coast Guard regulations. The 40,000-dwt design under discussion between ASI and BWSD is believed to be a shortened version of the CPT54E product carrier, incorporating a number of the innovative features of the new BCT85 Class of vessels.

The relatively high average age of the U.S. tanker fleet and in particular the Jones Act fleet has been one of the main factors in the development of40,000-dwt tanker. Maritime Administration statistics show that of the 143 privately owned general tankers with unrestricted domestic trading privileges in the U.S.- flag fleet, 87 are 16 years of age or older.

Mr. Sellers said t h a t owners have showed interest in this size vessel.

Mr. Sellers indicated that although all the assets were not currently in place for series construction of40,000-dwt tankers, the yard does have the capability to construct vessels of this size. Mr. Sellers said the yard is being renovated and expanded and is being developed with the thought of series and modular construction.

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