Steel cutting at Zvezda for the sixth Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier ordered by SCF from Zvezda for Arctic LNG 2

On 24 December 2021, a steel cutting ceremony took place at Zvezda shipbuilding complex (Primorsky Region) for an Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier ordered for the Arctic LNG 2 project.

This is the sixth vessel in a series of 15 LNG carriers. She is owned by SMART LNG, a joint venture between Sovcomflot and NOVATEK.

The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2024. The steel has been cut in line with the contractual schedule.

Vessels of the new series are designed for year-round LNG transportation along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), including its eastern sector. They are assigned Arc7 ice class and will have increased icebreaking capabilities and manoeuvrability in ice compared with the first generation of Arctic LNG carriers. The delivery of these new vessels will help facilitate the growth of cargo traffic along the NSR.

The new series of gas carriers are 300 metres long, 48.8 metres wide, and will have a cargo capacity of 172,600 m3. The propulsion system includes three azimuth propulsion units, with a total capacity of 45 MW.

All 15 vessels will operate under the Russian flag.

SCF Press Service

PAO Sovcomflot (MOEX:FLOT) is one of the world’s leading energy shipping companies, specialising in the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied gas, as well as the servicing of offshore oil and gas production. As of the date of this release, the Group’s fleet comprises 133 vessels with a total deadweight of 11.6 million tonnes, including vessels owned through joint ventures. About 80 vessels have an ice class.

Sovcomflot is involved in servicing large oil and gas projects in Russia and around the world: Sakhalin-1; Sakhalin-2; Varandey; Prirazlomnoe; Novy Port; Yamal LNG; Tangguh (Indonesia). The company is headquartered in Saint Petersburg with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.

SCF currently has 14 gas carriers in operation, with further 25 LNG carriers under construction. The Group has been an independent owner and operator of LNG carriers since 2006 and was the first Russian company to successfully enter this premium segment of the global shipping market. Among the key charterers of SCF Group’s gas fleet are: Gazprom; Sakhalin Energy; Shell; Yamal LNG; Sibur, and Tangguh LNG.

As of the date of publication of the press release, Sovcomflot has placed construction orders for 20 large-capacity vessels of different classes with a total deadweight of 1.86 million tonnes at the Zvezda shipbuilding complex. These construction orders include 15 icebreaking LNG carriers for the Arctic LNG 2 project: the pilot vessel is ordered directly by the SCF Group (2019), the remaining 14 LNG carriers are ordered by SMART LNG, the joint venture between Sovcomflot and NOVATEK (2020).

The original press release can be found on the Sovcomflot website