Two oil supertankers to be built at Philly shipyard

Two oil supertankers will be constructed at the Philadelphia Shipyard. Officials are calling it a big deal for a yard that was in danger of closing.

The double-hulled supertankers will transport oil from Alaska to the West Coast. Kristian Rokke of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard says they will be state of the art.

“We will deliver on our promises. We are going to build these vessels to high-quality standards and they are going to be delivered on time and on budget,” he said.

That time, he specified, will be 10 a.m. on April 30, 2014.

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This year, Pennsylvania contributed more than $40 million to keep the shipyard open. Gov. Tom Corbett said that money was well spent since, without it, the $400 million tanker deal would never have happened.

“In order to get employment here to keep the shipyard here, I thought it was a good investment,” the governor said.

Employment at the yard will go from 400 to 1,000 once construction is in full swing.

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