Page 50: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2016)

SHIPBUILDING

Ship & Boatbuilding 2016

San Diego-based General Dynam- dent and general manager for General between SEA-Vista LLC and SEACOR

Worlwide, 2016 has ics NASSCO is a relative rarity in U.S. Dynamics NASSCO. “Among the sev- Holdings, Inc. The new “ECO” design shipbuilding, as it is a shipyard that has en vessels delivered, three have been allows for 33 percent increased fuel ef- been a dif? cult year for historically been adept at building com- lead ships: the world’s ? rst container- ? ciency with a 330,000 barrel cargo shipbuilding, to say the mercial and navy ships simultaneously ship powered by lique? ed natural gas, capacity. NASSCO currently has under and ef? ciently. A visit to NASSCO in its the U.S. Navy’s ? rst Expeditionary Sea construction four remaining tankers un- least. Continued stag-

Southern California home and the ? rst Base and the nation’s most fuel ef? cient der contract between the two compa- thing realized is space is a premium, and product tanker. We are proud of the di- nies.

nation in the energy there is not an inch of the yard that can verse design and build portfolio we have In June of last year, NASSCO deliv- go to waste. To that end, the NASSCO delivered during the course of this year.” ered the U.S. Navy’s ? rst Expeditionary sector for the past 24 team has invested regularly in both the Within the year, NASSCO has deliv- Sea Base (ESB) as part of the original physical facilities and logistics manage- ered the world’s ? rst two containerships Mobile Landing Platform program. The months has effectively ment of modern shipbuilding to maxi- to be powered by lique? ed natural gas. USNS Lewis B. Puller was built with moth-balled what was mize its asset. Those investment are The 764-foot-long ships—the Isla Bella a 52,000 square-foot ? ight deck, stow- clearly evident by events such as the and the Perla del Caribe—currently ser- age and accommodations spaces for up once a vibrant driver recent delivery of the newly built ECO vice the Puerto Rican-Jacksonville trade to 250 personnel. The ship was also de-

Class tanker Garden State for American route and are considered to be the clean- signed to support MH-53 and MH-60 for growth and expan-

Petroleum Tankers, the seventh ship de- est cargo-carrying ships anywhere in the helicopters. NASSCO is currently con- livery in the span of just over a year. world. structing the second ESB and is under sion. But in business as “In the past year, NASSCO shipbuild- NASSCO also delivered four ECO contract to build a third. NASSCO also in life the axiom “What ers have delivered seven ships – or the Class product tankers within the same maintains a bicoastal ship maintenance equivalent to 100,000 tons worth of time period—three for American Petro- and repair operation with locations serv- doesn’t kill you makes steel,” said Kevin Graney, vice presi- leum Tankers and one for a partnership ing San Diego; Mayport, Fla.; Norfolk, you stronger” is apt, as the maritime sec- tor is no stranger to severe and prolonged cycles. Cost cutting and ef? cient asset manage- ment are the drivers today, and when the world economy in- evitably kicks into high gear again, those that were most astute dur- ing the tough times will stand to prosper. Here we look at some of the more interesting ship- builders and shipbuild- ing projects of the year (Photo by Lance Davis/HII) to date.

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division installed the deck- house on the amphibious assault ship Tripoli (LHA 7), a major event in the ship’s construction schedule which begins the

MR Staff integration of the three largest sections of the ship. “The deckhouse is comprised of ? ve deck levels and includes radio and radar spaces, the primary ? ight control station, and the pilot house,” said Premo Sabbatini, LHA 7 program director. “The estimated lift weight for the deckhouse is 701 short tons and required three cranes to complete this task.” 50 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • AUGUST 2016

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