(With video) General Dynamics Nassco has launched the world’s first LNG powered containership at a ceremony at the company’s shipyard in San Diego. The christening and launch ceremony also commemorated the company’s 100th ship launch.
The ship’s sponsor, Mrs. Sophie Sacco, wife of Michael Sacco, president of the Seafarers International Union of North America, christened the ship with a traditional champagne bottle break over the ship’s hull. The ship’s name, Isla Bella, was unveiled during the ceremony.
Marlin Class
The ship is being built for Tote, a leading transportation and logistics company. As part of a two-ship contract signed in December 2012 with Tote, the 764-foot-long Marlin class containerships will be the largest dry cargo ships of any kind in the world powered by LNG. The ships will also include a ballast water treatment system, making them the greenest ships of their size anywhere in the world.
Upon delivery in late 2015, the Jones Act-qualified ships will operate between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
For its commercial work, Nassco partners with South Korean shipbuilding power, DSME, for access to state-of-the-art ship design and shipbuilding technologies. Nassco is the only major shipyard on the West Coast of the United States conducting new construction and repair.
Below a video of the launch of the Isla Bella. Picture by Nassco.
