Zvezda cuts steel for 3rd LNG-powered MR product carrier

Russian Shipbuilding Complex Zvezda has cut steel for the third MR-type product carrier operating on LNG as marine fuel ordered by the compatriot shipping major Sovcomflot in 2019.

The 1B-ice class tanker will have a deadweight of about 50,000 tonnes, length of over 180 meters, width of over 32 meters and a draft of 13 meters. The ships will be capable of conducting year-round navigation, including in the ice conditions of the Baltic Sea.

The LNG-powered MRs will be used to transport oil products and gas condensate under a long-term charter to a unit of PAO Novatek.

Sovcomflot has been supporting the switch to LNG as a marine fuel as part of the industry’s decarbonization efforts for a while now, and the company already operates a series of Aframax-class tankers that run on LNG as fuel.

Zvezda Shipbuilding is being created on the basis of the Zvezda Far Eastern Shipyard by a consortium of Rosneftegaz, Rosneft and Gazprombank.

The complex is planned to be able to construct large capacity ships designated for servicing offshore mineral production projects, including in the Arctic, and also merchant ships that will transport cargo on national and international waterways.

Earlier this week the shipbuilding complex welcomed a large batch of crane equipment with a lifting capacity ranging from 32 to 60 tons for the shipyard’s hydraulic structures.

After unloading of the equipment, its installation and commissioning will begin.

Furthermore, at the end of December 2020, the shipyard received a license for the construction of nuclear-powered vessels in compliance with the current standards of the Russian Federation.

Zvezda has become the only Russian shipyard that can build Project 10510 Leader nuclear icebreakers.

In June 2020, the shipyard held a steel cutting ceremony for nuclear icebreaker Russia. The icebreaker is scheduled for delivery in 2027.