El Paso Savannah Christened At Avondale Shipyards In New Orleans Joins A Fleet Of Nine LNG Tankers

The El Paso Savannah, the last ship in the current series Avondale Shipyards is building for The El Paso Company's new fleet of LNG tankers, was christened on November 11, in New Orleans.

Miss Rhonda Rousakis, daughter of the Honorable John P.

Rousakis, Mayor of Savannah, Ga., and Mrs. Rousakis, served as sponsor of the vessel. Miss Rousakis, a native of Savannah, is a senior at the University of Georgia, studying for a BSW degree (Bachelor of Social Work).

The principals of the ceremony included Albert L. Bossier Jr., president of Avondale Shipyards, Inc., who welcomed the guests; Howard Boyd, chairman of The El Paso Company, who delivered the address; Mayor Rousakis, and Father George Konstantopoulos, pastor of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, who delivered the invocation.

Miss Kim Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Johnson, presented the sponsor a bouquet of red American Beauty roses. Traditionally, the flower girl is the daughter of an Avondale employee.

Miss Johnson's dad is a pipefitter. Avondale executives joining the ceremony included: Richard Brunner, senior vice president and operating officer; Joseph Oberfell, executive vice president of Finances; Rene Meric, group vice president of Contract Administration ; William Harmeyer, vice president of Production; Durel Talbot and Hanson Koch, both members of the board of directors of Ogden Corporation.

The El Paso Savannah will join a fleet of nine LNG tankers to be utilized in the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) between Algeria and the United States East Coast to meet the critical energy needs of this nation.

The vessel was named in honor of the city near which the Elba Island LNG Terminal is located, and in recognition of the support which El Paso and its valued cus- tomer, Southern Energy Company, have received from Savannah, its officials, and its citizens in implementing this important project.

The vessel is being constructed by cooperative efforts. Avondale is building the hulls and installing the Conch System of balsa and plywood tank support system designed by Cryogenic Structures Corporation (CSC), and Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation in Mobile, Ala., is subcontracted to coat the inside of the hulls with a special cryogenic insulating foam, and fabricating the 15 huge, Conch-design tanks of aluminum plate up to 1 y2 inch thick.

Like her sister ships, the basic specifications of the El Paso Savannah are: length overall (extreme), 931 feet 6 inches; length between perpendiculars, 887 feet; breadth molded (beam), 140 feet 6 inches; design draft, 36 feet, with a cargo capacity at design draft (approximately) of 125,000 cubic meters. Her propulsion is 41,000 horsepower.

Avondale Shipyards, Incorporated is a subsidiary of Ogden Corporation which operates in the major market areas of metals, transportation and food. Although principally shipbuilders, Avondale is a diversified industry with divisions that include quick repair yards, a foundry, a special products division, steel sales, and a facility near the Gulf at Bayou Black which builds offshore drilling structures.

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