One day after the Earth Day celebration all over the world, Californian shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO held a christening ceremony in San Diego for the Magnolia State, the second of five ECO Class 50,000 DWT LNG-conversion-ready product carriers with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity being built for American Petroleum Tankers (APT).

The 610-foot-long tankers were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea.

The design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN Diesel & Turbo ME slow-speed main engine, a ballast water treatment system and an optimized hull form. The tankers will also have the ability to accommodate future installation of an LNG fuel-gas system.

The first tanker, the Lone Star State, was delivered in December 2015 and deliveries of the remaining ships are expected to continue in 2016 and 2017.