The Constitution is the sixth double-hulled tanker built for Conoco since 1990. Five of the state-of-the-art vessels operate in U.S. waters while the sixth is used as a shuttle tanker in the North Sea. A seventh double-hulled tanker is nearing completion and will be delivered before the end of the year.

"In 1990, Conoco was the first petroleum company to commit to building only double-hulled tankers," said Bill Easter, general manager of Conoco’s Gulf Coast business unit, headquartered in Lake Charles. "That was the wisest decision for marine environmental protection the company has ever made. Almost two years ago, the outer hull of the Guardian, another Conoco double-hulled tanker, was rammed by a barge flotilla," he added. "Although a 400-square-foot gash was ripped in the Guardian’s outer hull, the inner hull was undamaged and none of the more than 550,000 barrels of oil the Guardian was carrying was lost - avoiding a major oil spill here in the Port of Lake Charles."

• Low-emissions engines that already comply with future domestic and international emissions regulations.
• Navigation-data recorders, similar to the "black box" technology used on airliners.
• Equipment to exchange ballast water at sea to prevent harmful microorganisms from being transferred between international ports.
• Tin-free coating that resists barnacle growth on the hulls, without harming other marine life.

More information: Conoco Inc.