First Arctic LNG carrier stops off in Murmansk

The world’s first ice class LNG carrier, Christophe de Margerie docked at the port of Murmansk on February 12. 

According to Rosmorport, the Murmansk pilots performed the pilotage and anchoring of the vessel.

The vessel that loaded a small volume of LNG for testing purposes at the Fluxys-operated Zeebrugge LNG terminal at the end of January, is currently undergoing sea trials in the Arctic sea conditions.

The Arctic LNG carrier will replenish and change the crew before leaving for port of Sabetta, on February 14.

The 172,600-cbm vessel, owned by Sovcomflot of Russia, has been designed and built by the South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) to serve the Yamal LNG project. The vessel icebreaking ability allowing it to proceed through ice up to 2.1 m thick.

The $27 billion Yamal LNG project with the production capacity of 16.5 mtpa is on track to ship its first cargo of LNG by the end of this year.

Shareholders in the Yamal LNG project are Novatek, as the operator with a 50.1 percent stake, CNPC and Total with a 20 percent stake each and China’s Silk Road Fund with a 9.9 percent stake.

LNG World News Staff