First 2010 vessel with LR class

"Pichincha", a 105,000 dwt Aframax tanker, became the first Lloyd’s Register-classed ship to be delivered from the world’s shipyards this year; it was the second of two sisterships ordered by FLOPEC from the industry’s biggest commercial shipbuilder by volume.

"Pichincha", named after a legendary volcano near the Ecuadorean capital where local troops secured the country’s independence from Spain in 1822, was built to IACS’s Common Structural Rules and to the International Maritime Organization’s new guidelines for ship recycling known as ‘Green Passport’, illustrating all parties’ commitment to sustainable shipping.

“These ships are the realisation of the strategic plans for fleet growth we drew up five years ago; they will add commercial flexibility and expand our area of operations. We chose Lloyd’s Register for their expert guidance in fields that were new to us: bigger ships and CSR rules. And, as an environmentally conscious company, one of our priorities was to ensure compliance with the environmental requirements of our traditional trading areas, California and US Gulf & East coasts,” said Rear Admiral Aland Molestina, President of the FLOPEC Board and Commander in Chief of the Ecuadorian Navy. “We began building vessels at HHI more than 20 years ago, some of which are still sailing the world without any drawbacks. The availability of this design and timely building slots gave us confidence we would reach today’s milestone, while assuring both quality and safety.”
HHI, which has a global reputation for leading technical innovation, has been building ships to Lloyd’s Register class since 1972. "Pichincha" is the 484th ship delivered by HHI to Lloyd’s Register class, a family of ships which includes everything from very large crude and ore carriers to post-Panamax-sized containerships and the latest gas ships. HHI currently has 44 more ships contracted to Lloyd’s Register class on its books.