Sun Ship Company — Chester, Pennsylvania (Delaware Workers)

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that workers — including many Delaware residents who crossed the state line for employment — at the Sun Ship Company shipyard in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, sustained occupational asbestos exposure during shipbuilding and repair operations.

Facility Background

Sun Ship Company, a subsidiary of Sun Oil Company (Sunoco), operated a major shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River, approximately 15 miles north of Wilmington, Delaware. The yard built tankers, ore carriers, and other large commercial vessels from the early twentieth century through the 1980s, and was a major employer of workers from both Pennsylvania and neighboring Delaware.

Plaintiffs alleged that shipbuilding operations at Sun Ship — particularly insulation, piping, and mechanical work in the confined spaces of large tankers and bulk carriers under construction — created conditions for widespread asbestos exposure among the Delaware-area workforce.

Alleged Asbestos Pathways

Plaintiffs alleged in litigation that asbestos exposure occurred through multiple pathways:

  • Tanker and vessel machinery space insulation: Plaintiffs alleged that insulators and asbestos workers applied asbestos block insulation, pipe covering, and blankets in engine rooms, pump rooms, and cargo heating systems aboard tankers under construction, creating intense fiber concentrations in confined spaces.
  • Steam propulsion and heating systems: Plaintiffs alleged that large steam turbine propulsion systems and cargo heating systems on tankers required extensive asbestos insulation on steam generators, turbines, condensers, and steam piping within confined machinery spaces.
  • Pipe fitting throughout vessels: Plaintiffs alleged that pipefitters installing cargo, ballast, steam, and fuel systems encountered asbestos gaskets, packing, and pipe covering throughout vessel construction.
  • Bystander trades: Plaintiffs alleged that shipfitters, welders, electricians, and other tradespeople working adjacent to insulation operations in enclosed ship spaces received bystander asbestos exposure from airborne fiber generated by concurrent insulation work.

Delaware has a two-year statute of limitations under 10 Del. C. § 8119, running from the date of mesothelioma diagnosis under the discovery rule. Wrongful death claims carry a two-year limit under 10 Del. C. § 3724.

Delaware workers who were employed at Sun Ship Company and who have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related disease may have legal remedies available. Contact O’Brien Law Firm at (314) 237-3332 to discuss your work history and legal options at no cost.