General Dynamics to Build 3 BP Amoco Tankers

General Dynamics Corp. said it won a $630-million order to build three oil tankers for BP Amoco, continuing the expansion of the U.S. Navy’s largest shipbuilder into the civilian market. General Dynamics said its National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. unit expects to begin construction in 2002 and deliver the third tanker in 2005. Britain’s BP, the world’s No. 3 publicly traded oil company, has options to buy more oil tankers, General Dynamics said, at a price that wasn’t disclosed. The tankers will have a capacity of 1.3 million barrels and will be used to transport crude oil from Valdez, Alaska, to ports on the West Coast. Alaska holds some of North America’s largest oil and gas fields. National Steel, based in San Diego, expects to employ 1,000 workers over the life of the contract. The company has built tankers for Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s biggest oil refiner, and civilian cargo ships. Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics makes Gulfstream commercial airplanes and the main battle tank for the U.S. Army. General Dynamics shares fell $1.25 to close at $62.06 on the New York Stock Exchange.