Northrop Grumman Delivers Second Double-Hulled Tanker

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Ship Systems sector delivered the tanker Polar Resolution in a brief ceremony at its Avondale Operations in New Orleans, La. Polar Resolution is the second of five 140,000 deadweight (DWT) Endeavour-class double-hulled crude oil carriers Northrop Grumman Ship Systems is building for Polar Tankers, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips Petroleum Company. "The delivery of this second double-hulled tanker underscores our commitment to compete in profitable commercial shipbuilding," said Dr. Philip A. Dur, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. "We are proud to be working with Polar Tankers in building these revolutionary, environmentally friendly tankers." The Endeavour-class tankers are the first crude oil carriers being built for the Alaskan trade in compliance with the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990. They meet or exceed existing and proposed environmental regulations and will set new standards for innovation and environmental protection. The crude carriers are 894.7 ft. (272.69M) long by 151.6 ft. (46.2M) wide by 86.29 feet (25.3M) deep. The ships will hold more than one million barrels of cargo at full capacity. The Polar Tankers ships are built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems' Avondale Operations in New Orleans, with fabrication support from Ship Systems' Gulfport, Miss., facility. Ship Systems currently has the remaining three tankers under construction at Avondale and Gulfport. The third ship, Polar Discovery, was recently christened. Construction continues on the fourth ship, Polar Adventure, and a keel-laying ceremony for the fifth ship in the series, Polar Enterprise, was completed in April. Polar Resolution is the sister ship of Polar Endeavour, which was delivered last year, and was honored as "2001 Ship of the Year" by one national maritime industry publication and named to the distinguished list of "Great Ships of 2001" by another marine magazine. This is the second consecutive ship Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has built and delivered to be named Ship of the Year. In 2000, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy received the same distinction. "Polar Resolution is a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of the thousands of hard-working men and women of Avondale and across Northrop Grumman Ship Systems who contributed to building this fine ship," said George R. Yount, vice president of Avondale Operations. "We can all share in the pride we feel as we deliver this great ship, and we look forward to delivering more of these extraordinary tankers." In addition to being built with double hulls, which have an average distance of 10-feet between them and exceed regulatory minimums, the tankers incorporate double, independent engine rooms, twin propellers and twin rudders for greater maneuverability. The ships will have all cargo, fuel and lubricating oils isolated from the ship's side by ballast tanks or void spaces. The ships are powered by two, MAN B&W 7S50 MC-C, 15,000-BHP, slow-speed diesel engines turning twin shafts with four-bladed, controllable reversible-pitch propellers measuring 19 feet in diameter. Top speed is 16 knots and the tanker has an endurance range of 12,500 nautical miles. Polar Resolution's bridge incorporates electronic chart display and information systems, an advanced navigation and tracking system, and global marine distress and safety system. The vessels will meet pending air emissions regulations for engines. The ships are also painted with tin-free, anti-fouling paint in anticipation of proposed regulations.