The Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex in the Russian Far East has cut the first steel for a new Arc7 ice-class LNG tanker for the Arctic LNG 2 project.
The new Arc7 ice-class tanker was ordered by Smart LNG, a joint venture between Novatek and Sovcomflot.
Arctic LNG 2 and Smart LNG had previously signed charter agreements for 14 similar Arc7 LNG carriers to be built at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex.
The new Arc7 ice-class tankers are designed to ensure year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route, including its Eastern part, and will have increased icebreaking and maneuvering characteristics as compared to the previous type of Arctic tankers currently used by the Yamal LNG project.
“The construction of the fleet of next-generation Arctic ice-class gas carriers at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex for Arctic LNG 2 will make it possible to localize technologies for the construction of high-tonnage and high-tech vessels in Russia,” said Evgeniy Ambrosov , Novatek’s deputy chairman of the management board – director for marine operations, shipping and logistics.
“All Arc7 ice-class LNG carriers ordered by SmartT LNG at Zvezda will be registered under the flag of the Russian Federation and will be fully equipped by Russian crews”, he added.
Arctic LNG 2 envisages constructing three LNG liquefaction trains of 6.6 million tons per annum each, as well as a cumulative gas condensate production capacity of 1.6 million tons per annum.
The total LNG capacity of the three liquefaction trains will be 19.8 million tons.
The project utilizes gravity-based structure (GBS) platforms to reduce overall capital cost and minimize its environmental footprint in the Arctic zone of Russia.
The project’s participants include Novatek (60 per cent), Total (10 per cent), CNPC (10 per cent), CNOOC (10 per cent) and the consortium of Mitsui and JOGMEC (10 per cent).
Novatek informed in November last year that the project was 29 per cent done , despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.