Crowley Maritime Corp.’s new tanker, Pennsylvania, called the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, for the first time on Wednesday.
The port said the U.S.-flag ship ship will “move products related to Eagle Ford Shale,” the large shale oil formation in South Texas.
The 45,800-deadweight-ton Pennsylvania is one of two tankers purchased by Crowley Maritime from the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard. The other, Florida, will be delivered in March 2013.
They are the last in a series of 14 similar tankers built by Aker. The others are owned by Overseas Shipholding Group and American Shipping Co.
Though Crowley operates articulated tug-barges in the coastal trade, this is the first self-propelled Jones Act tanker Crowley has operated since 2011.
Crowley will have 17 ATBs in its fleet by next year that have 155,000-barrel, 185,000-barrel and 330,000-barrel capacities. The largest Crowley ATBs have about the same capacity as the new tankers, which can carry both product and chemicals. – Chris Dupin
New U.S.-flag Crowley tanker first calls Corpus Christi
