Running on LNG to ensure compliance of Sovcomflot’s ‘Green Funnel’ tankers to IMO requirements up to 2032‒2039
Zvezda shipyard is building five tankers intended for using LNG as their primary fuel
According to Sovcomflot’s calculations based on operational data of its ‘Green Funnel’ tankers (2018‒2021), using of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel will ensure compliance of those ships with IMO requirements up to 2032‒2039 (depending on operation mode), Igor Tonkovidov, President and CEO of Sovcomflot, said at the 6th LNG Fleet, LNG Bunkering and Alternatives conference held by PortNews Media Group in Moscow.
The report of Igor Tonkovidov was focused on current trends towards reduction of the carbon footprint in shipping. According to him, two tankers of Sovcomflot’s ‘Green Funnel’ series will be deployed for the Sakhalin-2 project under a time charter from 2024 for 10 years. “If both ships use only LNG as a fuel as it is planned, that will let reduce CO2 emissions by about 53 thousand tonnes over 10 years, or by 29%, as compared with using conventional Aframax shuttle tankers for transportation of the same volumes on the same routes,” he said.
When speaking at the conference, Igor Tonkovidov emphasized that despite drastic changes in the global energy market in 2021-2022, the need to consistently reduce emissions from ships in compliance with MARPOL requirements is still among the key factors of planning the current and the future economy of shipping for both ship owners and cargo owners. Although the shipping industry has been actively exploring the option of alternative fuels, LNG is still an optimal solution to meet the goal set by IMO for 2030 due to a combination of several factors including calorific value, emissions per unit of energy produced, availability of fuel and related technologies in the market.
“In spite of the energy crisis, technical progress is still on. Keeping pace with it or leading it is preferable, which I believe as a head of Sovcomflot and as an engineer. We will not give up this work, we will continue moving forward,” said Igor Tonkovidov.
The head of Sovcomflot also told about the first operation on bunkering of a sea-going ship with gas fuel conducted in September 2022. The operation on bunkering of the Korolev Prospect ship of the 'Green Funnel' series from the Dmitry Mendeleev ship was performed in the port of Ust-Luga (Leningrad Region). In September 2021, PAO Sovcomflot and PAO Gazprom Neft signed an agreement to develop innovative technologies and use low-carbon fuels in maritime transport.
Sovcomflot started its work on adopting LNG as a main fuel for large-capacity tankers in 2015. In 2018, SCF started commercial and technical operation of the world's first LNG-fuelled Aframax tanker (Gagarin Prospect). In 2018-2019, SCF took delivery of six 'Green Funnel' tankers. As of today, SCF has five LNG-fuelled tankers under construction at Russia’s Zvezda shipyard (two Aframax tankers for transportation of crude oil and three MR product carriers).
PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) is one of the world's leading marine energy transportation companies, specialising in the transportation of liquefied gas, crude oil, and petroleum products, as well as the servicing of offshore upstream energy production. The Group’s fleet comprises 135 vessels with a total deadweight of 11.67 million tonnes, including vessels owned through joint ventures. About 80 vessels have an ice class. SCF 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).
