LNG-fuelled Gagarin Prospect
Russian shipping company Sovcomflot (SCF Group)’s confidence in LNG-fueled shipping has been demonstrated by ordering three more gas powered vessels for its fleet. The order, placed with Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex in Russia’s far east, is for the construction of three new generation product carriers that use LNG as their primary fuel.
Three MR-class vessels will have a deadweight (DWT) of 51,000 tonnes each. They will transport petroleum products and gas condensate and will be chartered to Novatek under long-term time charter agreements. Each tanker will have an ice class of 1B, enabling safe operations in areas with challenging ice conditions, including the Baltic.
Using LNG fuel enables to significantly reduce emissions. Compared to engines burning standard marine fuels, LNG-powered engines release 27 per cent less Carbon Dioxide (CO2), 85 per cent less Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), 100 per cent less Sulphur Oxides (SOx), and 100 per cent less particulate matter.
The technical specification of the tankers reflects the international regulatory limits on sulphur, nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions, which will come into effect in 2020.
In September 2018, Sovcomflot Group also ordered two 114,000 DWT LNG-fueled Aframax crude oil tankers from Zvezda.
Sovcomflot pioneers the adoption of LNG as the primary fuel for large-capacity oil tankers. In 2018, Sovcomflot took delivery of three LNG-fueled Aframax crude oil tankers.
Related articles:
- Sovcomflot Breaks New Ground with LNG-fuelled Aframax Tankers
- Shell and Sovcomflot Achieve Several LNG Bunkering ‘Firsts’ in Rotterdam
- Two LNG-Fuelled Large-Capacity Tankers Ordered by Sovcomflot
