On 21 August 2012, an agreement was signed between RS and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding concerning the classification of two LNG carriers. This agreement is a supplement to a contract for the construction of two similar ships which was signed earlier.
The new LNG carriers of 170, 000 cubic metres capacity each will be built to the dual RS/LR class, RS acting as the leading society. RS class notation: KM ✪ Ice2 AUT1 OMBO EPP ANTI-ICE LI CCO ECO-S WINTERIZATION (-30) Gas carrier type 2G (methane).
The specific feature of the new agreement is the fact that the plan approval will be carried out by the RS Design and Newbuilding Support Centre in the Republic of Korea, which was opened in March 2012.
Plan approval will be carried out for compliance with applicable requirements or RS rules, provisions of international conventions and additional requirements of the Flag Administration.
The customer for the contract is JSC Sovcomflot. The steel cutting for the first ship is planned for January 2013. The ships are to be delivered to the customer in October 2014 and in January 2015. Both the ships are designed for LNG transportation by Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited, a member of the Shell Group.
Reference:
RS Design and Newbuilding Support Centre in the Republic of Korea was established in March 2012 in line with the RS strategic global expansion plans. The main objectives of the Centre are to provide technical support to the RS surveyors involved in newbuilding projects at Korean yards, to render the full range of RS services in newbuilding, including plan approval, surveys of ships under construction, certification of marine equipment, service promotion in the Republic of Korea.
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World Maritime News, August 29, 2012; Image: rs