Russian shipping company Sovcomflot signed time-charter agreements with Shell for two LNG fueled Aframax tankers. The vessels are part of a series of six SCF Group tankers that are currently under construction and will be delivered between the third quarter if 2018 and the first quarter of 2019.
The two tankers will be on time charter to Shell for up to 10 years, with a minimum commitment of five years. This “Green Funnel” series of ice class 114,000 deadweight LNG-powered Aframax tankers will operate within Shell’s global freight trading network.
The vessels will use Shell’s LNG bunker vessels, such as the Cardissa, for fueling in North West Europe. Shell will also provide supply points across North West Europe and the Baltic.
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The new contracts follow a previous LNG Fuel Supply Agreement between Shell and Sovcomflot in 2017, which signed the expansion of Marine LNG fueling into the tanker industry and for vessels not tied to fixed routes or set timetables.
Each tanker will have an ice class 1A hull, enabling export operations from the Baltic. The technical specifications for these vessels have been developed by SCF Group’s engineering centre, with the cooperation of Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Total carbon emissions using LNG fuel can be reduced by 27%, with sulphur emissions reduced by 100%, nitrous oxide emissions down 85% and particulate matter emissions reduced by 100%. The vessels’ main engines, auxiliaries, and boilers will be dual fuel, using LNG, and they will be fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to comply with Tier III regulations governing NOx emissions when in gasoil fuel mode.
