Russian oil giant Rosneft has ordered two reinforced ice-class multi-functional support vessels. The deal was signed last week with the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center (FESRC) during the Eastern Economic Forum.
Rosneft will have the option to order two more similar serial-built vessels. Igor Sechin , Rosneft Chairman of the Management Board and Vladimir Tsybin , Acting General Director of the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center signed the order documents.
According to Rosneft, the 100 meters long vessels will be capable of operating in harsh conditions, supporting its implementation of offshore projects implementation in the northern seas.
The support vessels are planned to be constructed at Zvezda Shipyard at Primorskiy Krai in the Russian Far East. The contracts were signed in development of the exclusive agreement signed by the parties in 2014 that provided for placing all shipbuilding orders at the facilities of the complex.
Igor Sechin said: “Today we placed a pilot order for building high-tech vessels with Zvezda Shipyard. We started implementation of the task set by the Russian President to localize the manufacturing of marine facilities in the Far East, and we expect that other license holders working at offshore license blocks, and shipping companies will follow our example”.
Once implemented, the project “Creation of Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex” will facilitate a new industrial cluster in the Russian Far East and is expected to have a significant multiplier effect for the economy of the region.