One day after the Earth Day celebration all over the world, Californian shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO held a christening ceremony in San Diego for Magnolia State, the second of five ECO Class 50,000dwt LNG-conversion-ready product carriers with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity being built for American Petroleum Tankers (APT).

The 610-foot-long tankers were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) of Busan, South Korea.

The design incorporates improved fuel efficiency concepts through several features, including a G-series MAN Diesel & Turbo ME slow-speed main engine, a ballast water treatment system and an optimized hull form.

The first tanker, Lone Star State, was delivered in December 2015 and deliveries of the remaining ships are expected to continue in 2016 and 2017.