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A new tanker built in South Korea for Primorye’s Shipping Company, or PRISCO, sailed off to perform its first assignment near Alaska and along the western coast of the United States on January 23, a statement from the company reported.

The Zaliv America, a massive tanker with deadweight of 104,000 metric tons, is the first of six giant vessels agreed to be built for PRISCO by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, the statement revealed. All six tankers will bear names of the Far Eastern bays.

The new tanker has undergone a series of rigorous examinations in the Sea of Japan and has shown high reliability.

PRISCO’s tankers are engaged in transporting fuel to Russia's northern ports and the new-class giant vessels will be able to operate without the assistance of icebreakers.

The total carrying capacity of PRISCO’s fleet accounts to over one million tons and the company intends to increase it to some two million tons by 2010, the statement said.