Units of Amoco Corp. and Mobil Corp. separately have ordered crude oil supertankers from Japanese manufacturers.
Amoco Transport Co. will place its double hull vessel in service early in 1993.
James M. Norausky, senior vice-president, said, "While economics and present construction experience favor the conventional single hull, Amoco has selected the double hull design because it is the best available today for maximum protection of the environment."
Mobil Shipping & Transportation Co. let contract to Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. for construction of a 280,000 dwt ton vessel.
Under terms of the contract, Mobil has an option to build the vessel with a double hull and plans to exercise its option. Mobil said this represents its commitment to safeguard the environment.
AMOCO VESSEL
Amoco's 280,000 dwt double hull very large crude carrier (VLCC), ordered from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will transport crude oil from the Middle East to Amoco Oil Co.'s U.S. refineries,
Norausky pointed out that construction costs of double hull vessels are 15-25% greater than for single hull vessels of the same size and capacity.
"However," he said, "the decision to elect the double hull option is consistent with Amoco's mission to provide safe, environmentally responsible marine transportation."
The new tanker will be 1,088 ft long and 190 ft wide with a capacity of about 2 million bbl of crude.
Amoco signed a contract for the VLCC with the option to select a hull design.
"The double hull design selected by Amoco is consistent with the conclusions of the National Academy of Sciences study of tanker design," Norausky said.
The width between cargo tank walls and the outer skin of Amoco's VLCC will be 11 ft on the sides and 10 ft on the bottom.
Norausky said, "The double hull provides oil spill protection, particularly in low energy impacts in which only the outer skin is penetrated. These account for the majority of spill incidents."
Amoco's present fleet of 17 vessels includes one 10,000 dwt double hull vessel built in 1982 to transport refined products on Lake Michigan from Amoco's Whiting, Ind., refinery to Michigan and Wisconsin terminals.
The fleet also includes five double sided, ocean going tankers ranging from 40,000 to 80,000 dwt, built in 198789, which have extra protection against oil spills resulting from collisions.
Amoco's new VLCC, in addition to its double hull, will be equipped with an advanced Mitsubishi designed and built engine, model 7UEC85LS-11, for additional power and increased efficiency. The new supertanker also will have an integrated bridge system for improved navigation and operational safety.
The new VLCC will be the largest vessel in the Amoco fleet. The aim is to enhance Amoco Oil's capability to carry crude oil from the Middle East to refineries and pipeline terminals on the Gulf of Mexico.
MOBIL TANKER
Mobil's VLCC will be built at Sumitomo's Oppama, Japan, shipyard.
The new vessel will join Mobil's fleet of 40 tankers during fourth quarter 1993. Mobil also has an option for a second vessel to be delivered 1 year later.
The new VLCC will be 1,098 ft long and 220 ft wide with cargo tanks rated at 2,169,947 bbl of oil at 100% capacity.
Average service speed will be 16.2 knots.
The vessel's design stems from cooperation between Mobil and Sumitomo technical staff spanning more than 1 year of effort.
Mobil said special attention and care have been given to safety and efficiency, including features such as enhanced maintainability and a state of the art integrated bridge system with advanced navigation and vessel tracking capabilities to cut down on the risk of collisions and groundings.
Since 1973, Sumitomo has delivered 11 vessels to Mobil, including VLCCs, smaller crude carriers, and product carriers.
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