Zvezda Shipyard secures three LNG-powered tankers order from Sovcomflot

Sovcomflot (SCF Group) has placed orders for construction of three LNG-fuelled tankers with Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. The three new generation MR-class product carriers will use LNG as primary fuel and will have a deadweight (DWT) of 51,000 tonnes each. They will transport petroleum products and gas condensate and will be chartered to Novatek under long-term time charter agreements. Each tanker will have an ice class of 1B, enabling safe operations in areas with challenging ice conditions, including the Baltic, the Group said in its press release.

Using LNG fuel enables to significantly reduce emissions. Compared to engines burning standard marine fuels, LNG-powered engines release 27 per cent less Carbon Dioxide (CO2), 85 per cent less Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), 100 per cent less Sulphur Oxides (SOx), and 100 per cent less particulate matter.

The technical specification of the tankers reflects the international regulatory limits on sulphur, nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions, which will come into effect in 2020.

In September 2018, Sovcomflot Group also ordered two 114,000 DWT LNG-fueled Aframax crude oil tankers from Zvezda.

Sovcomflot pioneers the adoption of LNG as the primary fuel for large-capacity oil tankers. In 2018, Sovcomflot has already saw three LNG-fueled Aframax crude oil tankers delivered to its fleet.

Sovcomflot (SCF Group) 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 exploration and production. The company’s fleet includes 144 vessels with a total deadweight of 12.5 million tonnes. 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; Prirazlomnoye; Novy Port; Yamal LNG, and Tangguh (Indonesia). The company is headquartered in Saint Petersburg, with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.