SeaRiver Maritime, Exxon Mobil’s marine affiliate has officially named one of its two new US flag crude oil tankers, Liberty Bay.
The vessel was built at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard and incorporates the latest safety, navigation and engine room technologies. It will begin supplying crude oil from Alaska North Slope to refineries along the American West Coast, later this year. Liberty Bay is approximately 820-feet long and has a capacity to carry 800,000 barrels of oil. It has double hulls for all cargo and fuel tanks in addition to redundant components for key systems, including main engine components and controls. SeaRiver Maritime consulted independent specialists to complete an extensive evaluation of the vessel’s design using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, a methodology used by the aerospace industry and the US department of Defense.
Darren Woods, president of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Company, has stated, “Domestic natural gas production has risen by about 25 percent over a 10-year period. At the same time, US crude oil production has risen by 13 percent,” he said. “Today, the Marcellus Shale produces 20 percent of US natural gas supply. The impact this growth in domestic energy production is directly having on the US economy is remarkable.”