MT CALIFORNIA
May–July 2024 | Valdez, Alaska; Port Angeles, Washington; San Francisco and El Segundo, California
California (Crowley Alaska Tankers) provided the setting for my son’s Cal Maritime commercial cruise from May through July 2024. His time aboard took him to Valdez, Alaska, Port Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, and El Segundo in Los Angeles County. These photographs document the crude oil tanker and the ports surrounding his experience, offering a closer look at the working ships connecting Alaska’s oil industry with the U.S. West Coast.
Built in Philadelphia and originally named Eagle Bay, California is a U.S.-flag crude oil tanker designed for the demanding trade between Alaska and West Coast refineries. Delivered in 2015 for SeaRiver Maritime, ExxonMobil’s marine affiliate, she was the second of two new Aframax tankers built to transport Alaskan North Slope crude oil from Prince William Sound. Crowley acquired the ship in 2018 and renamed her California, continuing her connection with the Alaska oil trade. Her double-hull construction, large cargo capacity, and specialized systems reflect the engineering and seamanship required to move petroleum safely along the Pacific Coast. For our family, the ship also has a personal connection: my son served aboard her as a Cal Maritime cadet during his commercial cruise from May through July 2024, visiting Valdez, Port Angeles, San Francisco, and El Segundo.
Information List
Name: California, commonly identified as MT California
Former Name: Eagle Bay
Owner: Crowley Alaska Tankers, LLC
Technical Manager in 2024: Intrepid Ship Management, Inc.
Original Operator: SeaRiver Maritime, Inc.
Year Built: 2015
Shipyard: Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ship Type: Double-hull Aframax crude oil tanker
Class: Liberty Class
Length: Approximately 820 feet (250 meters)
Beam: Approximately 144 feet (44 meters)
Gross Tonnage: 62,318 GT
Deadweight: 114,756 metric tons
Cargo Capacity Reported by Crowley: Approximately 760,000 barrels
Country of Registry: United States
IMO Number: 9642095
Acquired and Renamed by Crowley: 2018
Gallery Period: May–July 2024
Locations During the Commercial Cruise: Valdez, Alaska; Port Angeles, Washington; San Francisco and El Segundo, California
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
The ship was built at Aker Philadelphia Shipyard as Eagle Bay for SeaRiver Maritime, ExxonMobil’s U.S. marine affiliate.
She was the second of two Liberty Class Aframax tankers, following sister ship Liberty Bay.
A naming ceremony took place in Philadelphia on January 12, 2015, before her delivery later that year.
The two ships were built to carry Alaskan North Slope crude oil to refineries on the U.S. West Coast.
Their construction formed part of a renewal of SeaRiver’s domestic tanker fleet.
Design and Features:
California was designed as a crude oil carrier rather than a smaller tanker primarily transporting refined petroleum products.
Her double-hull arrangement provides an additional protective barrier around cargo and fuel tanks.
The original construction program incorporated modern navigation, machinery controls, and electrical systems intended to improve reliability and efficiency.
Her broad beam and substantial deadweight capacity support the transportation of large crude oil cargoes.
At approximately 820 feet long, she represents a markedly different type of maritime engineering from the passenger ships featured elsewhere on this site.
Crowley Acquisition:
Crowley Alaska Tankers completed the acquisition of three SeaRiver vessels in April 2018.
Eagle Bay became California, while sister ship Liberty Bay was renamed Washington.
The third vessel, SR American Progress, became Oregon.
Crowley announced that the vessels would be chartered back to SeaRiver under multiyear agreements.
The acquisition expanded Crowley’s U.S.-flag petroleum transportation business and its longstanding involvement in Alaska.
Service:
California has served the trade carrying crude oil from Alaska to West Coast refineries.
Valdez, on Prince William Sound, is a key loading location for oil transported south through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
Her work links Alaska’s petroleum production with the marine terminals and refining infrastructure of the Pacific Coast.
During my son’s commercial cruise in 2024, the ship visited Valdez, Port Angeles, San Francisco, and El Segundo.
The vessel operates as a commercial tanker, with a professional merchant marine crew responsible for navigation, machinery, cargo handling, and shipboard safety.
Cal Maritime Commercial Cruise — May–July 2024:
My son joined California as a Cal Maritime cadet for his commercial cruise during the summer of 2024.
Unlike a voyage aboard an academy training ship, a commercial cruise places cadets aboard a working vessel to gain practical experience within its operating environment.
His time aboard offered an opportunity to connect classroom learning with the responsibilities and routines of commercial shipping.
The voyage included Valdez, Alaska, Port Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, and El Segundo in Los Angeles County.
These photographs preserve the tanker and the port settings surrounding his experience, documenting a different side of maritime travel from the passenger voyages featured elsewhere on this site.
Legacy:
California brings together American shipbuilding, domestic petroleum transportation, and the development of future merchant marine officers.
Her history illustrates the continuing importance of U.S.-flag tankers in the Alaska–West Coast trade.
Within this collection, she also records an important stage in my son’s maritime education, preserving a personal connection to the working side of life at sea.
OLP Social: A Cal Maritime commercial training voyage aboard a working oil tanker took my son from Alaska to ports along the U.S. West Coast, providing firsthand experience of the maritime industry beyond passenger ships.
