On Monday, February 20, NASSCO shipbuilders took the Jones Act tanker Liberty to sea for the very first time for tests and trials.

The Liberty is the third and final ship to be constructed as part of the ECO Class tanker program for SEACOR.

In September and November of 2013, General Dynamics NASSCO entered into contracts with SEACOR Ocean Transport Inc., for the design and construction of three 50,000 deadweight ton LNG-conversion-ready product carriers with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity.

The 610-foot-long tankers are a new “ECO” design that offers improved fuel efficiency. The ships are designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea.

All of the ECO-class tankers were constructed at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. Construction of the first tanker began in the fourth quarter of 2014, with deliveries starting in 2016 and continuing through 2017.

NASSCO handed over the other two tankers last year. Namely, the Independence was handed over to SEA-Vista LLC, a partnership between SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Avista Capital Partners, in May 2016, while the Constitution was delivered in November 2016.

Video Courtesy: NASSCO