| | American Maritime Officers members working aboard the M/T Empire State as the ship was delivered by General Dynamics NASSCO in July and began operations under Military Sealift Command charter included Capt. Andrew Miller, Second Mate Dan Kleiboemer, Third Assistant Engineer Peter Tormala, Third A.E. Brian Burke, Third Mate Jordan Gould, Third Mate Bobby Boone, Chief Mate Mike Lamb, Chief Engineer Tom Balzano, First A.E. Tim LeClair, Chief Engineer Steve Klokker and Capt. Daniel Liziewski. With them here is AMO National Executive Board Member Danny Shea. The Empire State is the fourth of five new tankers in the State Class series built by NASSCO. The Empire State and its sistership Evergreen State (under construction) will replace T-5 tankers as they reach the end of their service lives. The ship is operated for APT by Crowley and manned in all licensed positions by AMO.
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The M/T Empire State entered service under MSC charter in July following a christening at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. The Empire State is the fourth ship in the State Class series of tankers, which are operated for American Petroleum Tankers LLC (APT) by Intrepid Personnel and Provisioning (Crowley) and manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers.
“It’s a good day for the AMO and everybody involved,” said Steve Klokker, chief engineer aboard the Empire State. “More jobs for the unions — both AMO and the SIU. It’s a good crew that’s ready to take out a good ship.”
The Empire State is one of two tankers in the State Class series that will replace three T-5 tankers as they reach the end of their service lives as primary fuel transportation vessels in the MSC fleet. The sister ship of the Empire State, M/T Evergreen State, is under construction at NASSCO.
“It’s good to know we’ve got two solid ships coming to work for us,” said Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, commander of MSC, at the vessel’s christening ceremony. As a U.S.-built and U.S.-flagged ship, the Empire State provides “jobs for U.S. merchant mariners and increased capabilities for Military Sealift Command and the Navy,” he said. Buzby called the U.S. shipbuilding industry “crucial” and commended the General Dynamics/NASSCO team for “building such a mighty and impressive ship – a ship for the 21st century.
“We’re all in this together,” Buzby said, “from ship builder to ship financier to ship owner to ship operator to ship customer. It’s a partnership that builds a stronger defense for our nation and Military Sealift Command is glad to be part of it.”
In his presentation during the christening ceremony, APT Chief Executive Officer Robert Kurz noted that the Empire State and its sister ship “will play an important role in our nation’s defense” for many years to come.
For their role as primary fuel transportation vessels for the military, both the Empire State and Evergreen State are equipped with four at-sea fueling stations on deck, a special modification made at the shipyard for the ships’ work under MSC charter, said President of General Dynamics NASSCO Frederick Harris. The vessels have a capacity of 14 million gallons of ship, combat vehicle and/or aviation grade fuel.
“The Empire State and the Evergreen State will quickly become vital links in the Department of Defense’s logistics support chain,” Harris said.
Harris commended all members of the team involved with the State Class series and the NASSCO staff for their work and professionalism in completing the ship nine months ahead of schedule and under budget. “Everyone pulled together and focused on the task at hand to build the highest-quality, best-value product carriers in the U.S. today,” he said.
The other three product tankers in the State Class are operating in the Jones Act trades under charters to major energy companies. |