Russia-owned Sovcomflot (SCF Group), Rosneft, the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC), and Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex have signed a set of agreements, for the construction of five environmentally friendly Aframax tankers to enable export shipments of crude oil and oil products.
The 114,000 dwt vessels will be built by Zvezda jointly with South Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries. The new vessels, due to enter service from 2021, will have an ice class of 1A/1B, sufficient to ensure safe year-round operations in regions with challenging ice conditions, including the Baltic Sea and subarctic seas.
Under the deal, Rosneft will own the vessels and SCF will operate them, first supervising their construction and then providing services to ensure the effective and safe management, including crews recruitment.
The ships were designed to use LNG (liquefied natural gas) as their primary fuel, complying with most stringent international Sulphur Oxide (SOx), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission standards to come into effect from 2020, amongst other areas, to the Baltic and North Seas.
“We hope that the beginning of serial production of cutting-edge large-capacity LNG-fueled tankers in Russia will facilitate the the further development of Russia’s port infrastructure that will allow ships to be bunkered with LNG fuel at Russian ports. We are also looking forward to seeing Russian regulators and maritime authorities continue with providing incentives for charterers, ship owners, and fleet operators who are taking real steps towards investing in green technologies,” stated Sergey Frank, President and CEO of Sovcomflot.
