Crowley Maritime Re-enters Jones Act Tankship Market

Crowley Maritime purchases two new 'Jones Act' tankers from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard.

Crowley Maritime Corporation’s petroleum and chemical transportation group announce that it has purchased two new Jones Act tankers, the Pennsylvania and the Florida , from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard ASA. The tankers, scheduled for delivery in September 2012 and March 2013, mark Crowley’s re-entry into the Jones Act tanker market since its last tanker was retired in 2011.

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 U.S. coastwise trade.

The U.S.-flagged vessels are the 13th and 14th in the Veteran Class built at Aker. This proven design provides Crowley customers with ABS-classed vessels that have been thoroughly tested and refined for performance and reliability.

With a length of 183.2 m, a breadth of 32.2 m, and a depth of 18.8 m, the tankers come in at 45,800 deadweight tons with a draft of 12.2 m. Powered by the first Tier II large-bore engines, MAN-B&W 6S50MCs, the speed of the Pennsylvania and the Florida is expected to average 14.5+ knots. In addition to being double hulled with segregated ballast systems, safety features also include water and CO2 firefighting systems, as well as a foam water spray system.

“Putting these vessels into service continues our commitment to offering a wide variety of solutions for the safe and reliable transportation of petroleum products and chemicals for our customers,” said Crowley’s Rob Grune , senior vice-president and general manager, petroleum services.