Newport News Completes Jumboizing Of Two Tankers

Newport News Shipbuilding recently delivered two jumboized commercial ships, the Charleston, and the Fredericksburg. The Charleston, ex Cities Service Norfolk, is owned by the Arieadne Corporation of Lake Success, N.Y., one of the Berger Group companies.

The Fredericksburg was enlarged for affiliated companies of Keystone Shipping Company of Philadelphia.

Jumboizing is a technique pioneered by Newport News in the 1950s. The procedure consists of increasing cargo capacity by cutting off the existing forward section of the ship and adding a new, larger forebody to the stern of the existing ship, or, in the case of relatively new ships, cutting them in half and inserting a newly constructed midbody.

Newport News leads the U.S. maritime industry in this field, having completed more than two dozen jumboizing jobs since 1956.

By adding a new forebody a shipowner can enlarge a ship and extend its life by some 20 years without making the sizable capital investment to build an entirely new ship.

The carrying capacity of the Fredericksburg was increased by approximately 113,- 000 barrels of oil, and her deadweight raised from 26,000 to 39,900 tons (metric). In addition to increased capacity, both ships were reconstructed to meet current maritime rules and regulations. The bridge atop the superstructure, which wyas repositioned from midship to aft, now contains the latest navigational equipment; crew accommodations were completely modernized.

Newport News currently has contracts to jumboize two more commercial ships that will be delivered during 1981. The Virginia yard also has under construction or has contracted to build 10 ships for the U.S. Navy— two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and eight nuclear-powered attack submarines.

A subsidiary of Tenneco Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding employs more than 24,000 persons. The 475-acre shipyard stretches along two miles of the James River near the the Virginia port of Hampton Roads.

Other stories from February 1981 issue

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Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.