New Icebreaking LNG Carrier Enters Service
A new icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier jointly owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (China COSCO Shipping) loaded its first cargo at the Yamal LNG plant in northern Russia.
The 299m, 172,000m3 Vladimir Rusanov conducted it is first loading for Yamal LNG at Sabetta port on March 27 and 28.
Vladimir Rusanov left South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) Okpo shipyard after her naming ceremony in December 2017 and headed to the Arctic Ocean through the Suez Canal for three weeks of ice trials.
The ARC 7 LNG carrier is the first of three newbuilds ordered by MOL and China COSCO Shipping under long-term charter for year-round LNG transport from the Yamal LNG project in the northeast corner of Russia’s Yamal Peninsula.
The second and third vessels are under construction at DSME and are expected to be delivered to the Yamal LNG project at the end of September 2018 and September 2019.
“MOL continues to take a proactive stance towards new Arctic LNG projects in light of the easier access to the Arctic where there is a huge potential for natural gas and other energy resources exploitation,” the company said.