On 8 January 2019, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply system was commissioned in the Kaliningrad Region, as part of Gazprom's offshore gas receiving terminal and the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) named Marshal Vasilevskiy, Sovcomflot says in a press release. The new gas supply system for the Kaliningrad Region was inaugurated by the Russian President Vladimir Putin, via a live video link-up with Dimitry Yarymbash, Captain of the Marshal Vasilevskiy.
The Marshal Vasilevskiy FSRU, which has no parallels in Russia, is under the technical management of Russia’s PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group). The FSRU is capable of transporting 174,000 cubic metres of LNG and enabling its conversion from liquid into gas (regasification) for subsequent delivery to consumers. The vessel has an Arc4 ice class and can break through ice of up to 0.8 metres thick. Marshal Vasilevskiy is registered with the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) and has Kaliningrad as her home port. Supervision over all stages of the construction of this unique vessel was also undertaken by specialists from SCF Group.
Commenting on the news Igor Tonkovidov, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating / Chief Technical Officer of PAO Sovcomflot, said:
"It’s a great honour for Sovcomflot to provide technical management for the Marshal Vasilevskiy FSRU, an offshore facility that is so important for the stable operation of Kaliningrad Region’s gas supply system. The implementation of such a project became possible, amongst other things, thanks to the extensive experience accumulated by SCF’s crews in operating our gas tanker fleet. From a technical standpoint, Marshal Vasilevskiy is one of the best vessels in her class and complies with the highest environmental and energy efficiency standards. The vessel’s high Arc4 ice class allows her to operate safely in the Baltic Sea basin all year-round.”
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.
The gas carrier fleet managed by SCF Group numbers 13 vessels. Sovcomflot has been an independent owner and operator of LNG tankers since 2006 and was the first Russian company to successfully enter this 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. The company's gas fleet generates steady profits: according to SCF Group’s 2017 operating results, the revenue from such vessels increased by 17.4% and the share of the gas segment revenue in 2017 made up 15.6% of the Group’s total revenue base, against 12.3% a year earlier.