Zvezda, Hyundai to Build Russian Aframax Tankers
A set of agreements between PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group), Rosneft, the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) and Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex will see the construction of five Aframax tankers for the export of crude oil and oil products from 2021.
The 114,000 dwt vessels will be built by Zvezda jointly with technology partner Hyundai Heavy Industries (Republic of Korea). The tankers are purpose-designed to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their primary fuel and will have an ice class of 1A/1B, sufficient to ensure safe year-round operations in icy regions, including the Baltic Sea and subarctic seas.
The tankers will be operated by SCF, first supervising their construction and then providing a range of services to ensure the effective and safe management of these vessels, including the recruitment of high-skilled crews and their management.
The technical specification of the new tankers was designed by SCF’s specialists, with the close involvement of the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Centre (FESRC).
Sergey Frank, President and CEO of Sovcomflot, said, “On the global market, Sovcomflot has a strong reputation as a world-class operator of large-capacity tankers, as well as platform supply vessels, and we remain the world’s No.1 operator of Aframax tankers, which comprise over one-third of the SCF fleet.
“Sovcomflot welcomes the further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation with Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil exporter. SCF Group is already operating three Rosneft-owned ice-class 30,000 dwt tankers (RN Arkhangelsk, RN Murmansk, and RN Privodino), all of them transporting oil and petroleum products across the Baltic Sea and in the Arctic. SCF is also involved in crude oil transhipment operations for Rosneft.
“We welcome the commitment of Zvezda to a project that exceeds the highest technical requirements of the market. We hope that the beginning of serial production of cutting-edge large-capacity LNG-fueled tankers in Russia will facilitate the the further development of Russia’s port infrastructure that will allow ships to be bunkered with LNG fuel at Russian ports. We are also looking forward to seeing Russian regulators and maritime authorities continue with providing incentives for charterers, ship owners, and fleet operators who are taking real steps towards investing in green technologies.”
Igor Tonkovidov, Executive Vice-President and Technical Director of Sovcomflot, said, “For many years, our key customers remain some of the largest oil and gas companies and oil traders, both globally and in Russia, who are demanding in their selection of carriers. SCF Group makes it a priority to meet customers’ expectation to transport their cargoes in accordance with the highest quality standards, and we work hard to maintain our fleet to a standard that always guarantees this. Sovcomflot is grateful to the specialists of Rosneft, FESRC, Lazurit Central Design Bureau, and Hyundai Heavy Industries for their active technical cooperation in the development of this project.
“SCF Group strives to reduce systematically the environmental impact of vessels. To this end, we are prioritising the switch to the use of LNG as a primary vessel fuel, a complex solution which we consider to be efficient both environmentally and economically. When compared to engines running on standard marine fuels, it allows us to reduce the volume of all major emission types at once, such as Sulphur Oxide (SOx), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), and Carbon Dioxide (CO2).”
