Third State Class Delivered
General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), delivered the third ship of its State-class of product carriers to American Petroleum Tankers, LLC, a joint venture of the Blackstone Group. The ship is named Sunshine State, the state nickname of Florida. NASSCO began constructing the Sunshine State in August 2007. At a length of 600.4 feet (183 meters), the double-hulled ship has a cargo capacity of approximately 331,000 barrels and will be used to carry petroleum and chemical products in Jones Act service between U.S. ports. “Completed 11 months ahead of our original schedule and under budget, the Sunshine State is the third product carrier NASSCO has delivered this year and reflects greatly upon the skilled shipbuilders in San Diego,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “Overall, 2009 has been an outstanding year for the NASSCO shipbuilding team and our partners, with three product carriers now in the U.S. commercial fleet and two dry cargo- ammunition ships delivered to the U.S. Navy this year.”
General Dynamics NASSCO employs more than 4,300 people and is the only full- service ship construction and repair yard on the West Coast of the United States. More information about NASSCO can be found at www.nassco.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,300 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.