Russian firm Sovcomflot orders next generation LNG-fueled tankers
PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) signed a set of agreements with Rosneft, Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex and VEB Group, placing orders with Zvezda for a series of two next generation large-capacity Aframax tankers powered by LNG. VEB-Leasing will finance the construction of the tankers, whilst a subsequent 20-year time-charter for them has been agreed with Rosneft. The signing ceremony was attended by Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. The vessels will have a deadweight of 114,000 tons and a 1A/1B ice class, which makes them able to operate all year round in areas with difficult ice conditions, including sub-Arctic seas and Russian ports of the Baltic region. The technical specification of the tankers reflects the regulatory limits on sulfur, nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions, which will come into effect for the Baltic and North Seas in 2020. These next generation tankers, designed to operate on LNG fuel, provide for a low level of human impact on the environment and reduce emissions of harmful substances: SOx by 100%; NOx by 76% and CO2 by 27%, when compared with similar vessels operating on heavy fuel. The technical specification of the vessels was designed by SCF’s specialists, who applied their vast experience of operating large-capacity tankers in adverse ice conditions, with the close involvement of the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Centre (FESRC) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (Republic of Korea), a technological partner of Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. Sergey Frank, President and CEO of PAO Sovcomflot, stated: “We welcome the plans of the Russian shipbuilders, from Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex, to create modern large-capacity vessels using natural gas-based bunkers as their primary fuel. I’m sure that it is with such vessels that the future of merchant shipping lies. Sovcomflot leader in the Aframax tanker segment, with our vessels serving the needs of the largest oil and gas companies for safe transportation of crude oil in the Baltic, North Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean, Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.”
