US alliance deal

Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) and Cascade General have signed an alliance agreement for the maintenance and repair of ATC?s fleet of Alaska North slope tankers, formalising a longstanding relationship between the two companies.

The agreement is non-exclusive, but commits ATC to sending the majority of its ships to Cascade General for drydocking over the next two years. Cascade will also perform 50 per cent of ATC?s voyage repairs.

The stated aim of the deal is ?to achieve a process of continuous improvement in standards of safety, environmental protection and quality, which results in the reliable and cost effective performance of ATC vessels while providing long-term benefits for both parties.?

“This alliance reflects our need to partner with a major west coast shipyard which has the infrastructure to support our operational requirements, while still giving us some flexibility on which projects we decide to send to them,” says ATC president and ceo Douglas Webb. Cascade will benefit from a more predictable workload, and believes that the new relationship will generate significant savings for ATC through integrated planning and a more progressive approach to cost and time management, says yard president Frank Foti.