Tanker sea trials delayed

by The Associated Press

The sea trials for the Polar Endeavour, first of the three millennium-class tankers being built for Phillips Alaska Inc. subsidiary Polar Tankers Inc., have been postponed until October.

Litton Avondale Industries, which is building the three giant oil tankers at its West Jefferson, La., shipyard, said the trials, which test the ship’s performance in open water, were originally set to begin in June but were put off.

The contract remains on time and on budget, but other recently completed ships are ahead of the Polar Endeavour for sea trials, Litton spokeswoman Sara Price said.

Polar Tankers, formerly ARCO Marine Inc., has known about the change in date for sea trials for two months, Phillips Alaska spokeswoman Dawn Patience told PNA June 13.

“It was on schedule to be delivered in late fall, but now it will be by the end of the year. The ship is basically completed,” she said, “it just hasn’t had its sea trials.”

Patience said the contract called for delivery of the first of the three tankers in 2000. Delivery is still on schedule, she said, “we will have Endeavour by the end of the year.”

Litton Avondale said the Polar Endeavour should be delivered in mid-November.

The second tanker, the Polar Resolution, is about 40 percent complete and sitting in Avondale’s main yard. Workers started cutting steel for the third ship, the Polar Discovery, in March.

Patience said the sea trials delay is not a problem. “Obviously, we would like to have the ship earlier if we could, but it will not be a major problem for us.”