On 20 August Crowley Maritime Corp’s petroleum and chemical transportation group announced its purchase of two new Jones Act tankers, Pennsylvania and Florida, from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. The tankers, scheduled for delivery in September and March 2013, mark Crowley’s re-entry into the Jones Act tanker market since its last tanker was retired in 2011.
The addition of these new tankers also enables Crowley to offer a more diverse fleet of petroleum and chemical vessels to its customers. The tankers will be capable of carrying nearly 330,000 barrels of a wide variety of petroleum products and chemicals. Once delivered, the vessels will operate in the US coastwise trade.
The US-flagged vessels are the 13th and 14th in the Veteran class built at Aker. This proven design measures 183.2m by 32.2m, 45,800dwt, and is powered by the first Tier II large-bore engines, MAN-B&W 6S50MCs.
