Sovcomflot to become world’s first owner of innovative gas carriers in 2016-17 – Gazprom
Sovcomflot OJSC will become the world’s first owner of innovative gas carriers in 2016-17, IAA PortNews journalist cites Nikolai Grigoriev, Director of Global Shipping & Logistics, Gazprom Marketing & Trading, as saying during the ceremony of signing agreements between Gazprom Marketing & Trading, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, United Shipbuilding Corporation and Sovcomflot on the construction of a series of LNG carriers (Gaz Ice with cargo capacity of some 170,000 m3).
“We will use a new main propulsion plant, engines with direct supply of gas to reduce fuel consumption by almost a half. We also transfer from Ice2 to Arc4 class to operate at the Northern Sea Route in summer navigation. It will cover Gazprom demands of export to the Asia-Pacific region. So we will reach the consumption of 100 tonnes of fuel per day, plus ice class for operation at NSR and gas evaporation rate of 0.1. There are no such vessels today. I hope Sovcomflot will be the first owner of such a gas carrier in 2016-17,” said Nikolai Grigoriev.
As IAA PortNews reported earlier, Sovcomflot had signed an agreement with United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) on the reservation of construction slots for the placement of orders to build further gas carriers of the Velikiy Novgorod series. Along with the agreement on the reservation of construction slots, OAO Sovcomflot concluded a memorandum of understanding with Gazprom Marketing and Trading, which provides for a construction order for up to 13 gas carriers from the enhanced «Gaz Ice» series under a future GM&T charter.
The new gas carriers in the “Gaz Ice” series will have a higher ice class – Arc 4 (as classified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping). This will allow them to transport LNG via the Northern Sea Route during the summer period. The new vessels will also offer better efficiency than other similar gas carriers as they will be fitted with a cargo containment system that reduces levels of gas lost through evaporation to no more than 0.1% per day.
Elaborating the design for the new vessels brought together specialists from Gazprom Marketing and Trading (GM&T), OAO Sovcomflot, the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, and OAO USC.
Related link:
Sovcomflot, USC and Gazprom sign agreements on reservation of construction slots for "Gaz Ice" carrier series and promotion of Russian involvement in LNG shipbuilding (photo) >>>>
