Vladimir Putin took part in the name-giving ceremony for the Arctic gas tanker Alexei Kosygin and the shuttle tanker Valentin Pikul at the Zvezda shipbuilding complex, according to the Kremlin.
“The oil tanker will be named after writer Valentin Pikul, who is loved by many and whose work is largely dedicated to Russian history, our fleet and the defenders of our Far Eastern borders. The gas tanker is named after Alexei Kosygin, a statesman, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, a man who made an immense contribution to the development of the Far East, our country, the economy, its key industries, and proved himself a talented organiser during the Great Patriotic War,” said the President.
“The development of this fleet is of great importance to our country, which is an Arctic power, in order to implement our long-term strategy for developing the Arctic, ensuring reliable transport along the Northern Sea Route, global transport and logistics routes, and strengthening our country and the entire world’s energy security,” emphasized Vladimir Putin.
According to Rosneft, the shuttle tanker is intended for oil transportation and capable of navigating the waters of the northern seas independently, without an icebreaker escort. The shuttle tanker is equipped with a bow loading gear for receiving oil directly from a fixed offshore ice-resistant terminal.
ARC 7 ice-class LNG tankers are designed to transport liquefied natural gas and are able to operate in harsh climatic conditions and overcome ice 2 meters thick. The vessel is propelled by three unique steerable thrusters, the production of which is localized in Bolshoi Kamen at Sapphire Pod Drive Plant. For many years, such types of vessels have been ordered exclusively abroad. Their construction is one of the most technologically complex processes in the global shipbuilding industry.
Valentin Pikul and Alexey Kosygin are two more ships successfully built at Zvezda Shipyard. A total of 12 vessels have been launched at the Shipyard, 4 Aframax tankers with a total deadweight of 450,000 tons have been handed over to customers, active work is ongoing to build 23 more ships out of more than 50 vessels in the company's backlog of orders. The total deadweight of the orders exceeds 3 million tons.
The Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex is constructed by the Rosneft-led Consortium. The Shipyard’s pilot throughput is provided for by Rosneft that placed an order for 28 vessels. Zvezda’s product line will include vessels of up to 350 tonnes displacement, components of marine platforms, ice-class vessels, commercial vessels for cargo transportation, specialty vessels, and other types of marine equipment of any complexity, characteristics and purposes. At the moment the Shipyard's order portfolio exceeds 60 vessels including nuclear-powered icebreaker Leader, tankers of the new generation, Arctic shuttle tankers, gas carriers and multifunctional supply ships.
Photos from the Kremlin website
