On 12 October in London, a meeting was held between the SCF Management and Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Kitack Lim, Sovcomflot says in its press release.
Callum Ludgate, Managing Director of Sovcomflot (UK) and a member of the Board of Directors of PAO Sovcomflot, represented the SCF Group. The meeting was also attended by: Azara Prempeh, Chief of Staff, Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the IMO; Yury Melenas, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the IMO, and Grigoriy Alexandrov, Director of Projects and Business Development, Sovcomflot.
Managing Director of Sovcomflot (UK) informed Secretary General about the work SCF conducts in the sphere of emission reduction in line with IMO's ambition to decarbonise the maritime transport and achieve zero emissions by 2050. He elaborated on three years of SCF experience in operating LNG-powered tankers of the 'Green Funnel' series.
During the meeting, a model of Gagarin Prospect tanker, the world's first LNG-fuelled Aframax, was presented to the IMO. The model will be installed at the IMO headquarters as a successful example of the implementation of modern engineering solutions in the maritime industry.
The possibility of using LNG as marine fuel is provided for almost all of Sovcomflot newbuilding vessels. The company has five LNG-fuelled tankers under construction and six LNG-fuelled tankers in operation.
In the welcome address sent to IMO by Sovcomflot the company stated:
"The use of LNG as a marine fuel is the most optimal engineering solution in the short and medium term in compliance with the current international standards for reducing air emissions during ship operation.
Sovcomflot strives to systematically reduce the human impact on the environment, and actively cooperates with IMO in this area, paying special attention to the climate agenda and trying to implement environmentally friendly technologies.
SCF is constantly exploring the possibilities of using alternative fuels and technologies to reduce the carbon footprint in the marine areas of its presence."
The operating experience of SCF 'Green Funnel' vessels confirms that the use of LNG allows to annually reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions by 26%, Sulphur Oxide (SOx) emissions by 100%, and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions by 94%. By using LNG fuel, SCF’s ‘Green Funnel’ tankers have saved some 64,000 tonnes of CO2 over 2018-2021, an equivalent of planting a forest of 1.5 million new trees.
Sovcomflot Group (MOEX:FLOT) is a leading global company dealing in sea transportation of natural gas and crude oil, and offshore hydrocarbon extraction servicing. As of the date of publication of the press release, the company operates a fleet of 136 vessels with a total deadweight of 11.7 million tonnes, including vessels owned by Sovcomflot, chartered vessels, and vessels that belong to joint ventures. Over 80 of the company's ships are of 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, and Tangguh (Indonesia). The company is headquartered in Saint Petersburg, with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.
Sovcomflot started to introduce LNG as the main fuel for large-capacity tankers in 2015, and in 2018 became the first company in the world to commence operation of Aframax tankers using LNG fuel. Today, the SCF fleet includes six vessels of such type (including Korolev Prospect and Vernadsky Prospect). Another five LNG-powered tankers of various sizes are under construction at Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex (Primorsky Region). The SCF Group's cooperation with Russian cargo owners and shipbuilders promotes the localisation of advanced technologies for the construction of modern cargo ships within the country.
At the same time, Sovcomflot is actively facilitating the development of global infrastructure for LNG bunkering, including in regions that are strategically important for maritime trade. In particular, in March 2021, the first locations for LNG bunkering were opened in cooperation with Shell in North America (Port Canaveral, USA) and in the Mediterranean (Port of Gibraltar).
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