Page 72: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 1994)

NEW VESSEL DESIGN

Newport News recently revealed the details of its new product tanker design, the Double Eagle 333.

NEWPORT NEWS: Tackling The Commercial Market

With New Product Tanker Design

Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) is hoping the debut of its new product tanker design, dubbed the

Double Eagle 333, will mark its return to the commercial shipbuild- ing market.

The shipbuilder unveiled its plans at the recent Shipping '94 show in Stamford, Conn.

The word "Double" in the name refers to its double hull design, a feature built in to comply with the future requirements for ships oper- ating in U.S. waters. The "Eagle," a traditional symbol for the U.S., hammers home the fact that the product is American-made. The "333" stands for the ship's cargo capacity, which is 333,000 barrels of product. "We believe that Double Eagle 333 will meet a significant world- wide market demand for afford- able, double hull ships," said Greg

Cridlin, vice president, commer- cial. "It's an excellent design, offer- ing the owner top performance and a wide variety of options. And it will be a very producible ship. But, more importantly, it's being offered at a price that is very competitive.

We understand that now, more than ever, cost will drive the purchasing decisions of ship owners and opera- tors."

VESSEL SPECIFICS

The Double Eagle will be 649 feet (197.8 m) long and 102 feet (31 m) wide. It will have a deadweight of approximately 42,000 tons (design draft) and 45,435 tons (scantling draft). The design for the new ship was reviewed by an internationally renowned consultant and a num- ber of key customers, according to

NNS.

FOCUS ON AFFORD ABILITY

Partly based on extensive market research, it was concluded that the time was right to enter the Double

Eagle into the commercial market, said Ed Waryas, director of com- mercial marketing. "Forecasters are

TOP: Edward A. Waryas, director of commercial marketing at Newport News Shipbuilding, ad- dresses a luncheon crowd at the recent Shipping '94 to introduce the shipyards new product tanker design.

BOTTOM: Pam Waryas prepares to "christen"

Newport News' Double Eagle 333 at the Shipping '94 luncheon. projecting that U.S. clean air legis- lation will lead to more petroleum products being shipped to America instead of being produced here," he said. "That will mean more ships will be needed. "The U.S. legislation requiring that ships be double hull construction...will also lead to more demand."

NNS, however, has not relied solely on forecasts, and has enlisted the aid of agents worldwide in mak- ing business contacts. The ship- builder is also hoping for U.S. gov- ernment support, specifically in the form of defense conversion funds.

NNS is actively working to obtain some of those funds to enhance pro- duction processes to commercially- competitive standards.

STRONG HISTORY-

PROMISING FUTURE

The last commercial vessel built at NNS was the U.S.T. Pacific, a 1,187-foot (361.8 m) very large crude carrier (VLCC) delivered in 1979.

Over the history of the yard, NNS has actually built more commercial ships than warships. For the past dozen years, the company has been out of the commercial shipbuilding market.

In two years since the decision was made to reenter the commer- cial market place, managment con- cluded that the best way to begin, considering the strong competition from shipbuilders in Europe and

Asia, was an agressive effort in the commercial ship repair business.

NNS business has gone from no repair work to having completed 60 ships to date. "Double Eagle has been an out- standing team effort," Mr. Waryas said. "We've had everyone from engineering to purchasing, con- tracts, cost engineering and produc- tion control working long hours, side- by-side."

For additional information on the

Double Eagle 333,

Circle 115 on Reader Service Card

Double Eagle 333

Particulars

Length o.a 198 m

Length between perpendiculars 189.4 m

Beam, molded 31.1 m

Depth to upper deck at side, molded 17.4 m

Draft, design, molded 10.6 m

Draft, scantling, molded 11.3m

Brake hp, MCR 14,100

Brake hp, NCR 12,000

Trial speed at NCR, design draft 16 knots

Deadweight, design draft 41,675 M.T.

Deadweight, scantling draft 45,435 M.T. 58 Circle 282 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News