Korean Shipyard Holds Naming Ceremony for New SCF Tanker

On 29 May 2012, the naming ceremony for the new SCF tanker Nikolay Zuev took place in Busan (South Korea). The ship was built at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering under an agreement to build a series of tankers for the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products, signed in October 2010 between Sovcomflot and Zvezda-DSME – a joint venture of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering shipyard.

In accordance with the company’s procedures, the closing of the contract was preceded by a thorough process of selecting the project and the shipyard-contractor. The proposal from Zvezda-DSME was found to be optimal. All the coordination work, including the endorsement of the technical and commercial parameters of the agreements as well as the choice of the shipyard, were held with the participation of Novoship experts (part of the SCF Group).

During the construction of Nikolay Zuev, at the DSME production facilities in South Korea, Russian specialists visited the shipyard and enhanced their knowledge of new shipbuilding technologies through working closely with the South Koreans. It is planned that the resulting expertise will allow them to arrange for the construction of hull structures for large-tonnage vessels in the new production facilities of Russia’s Far East. Subsequently, it is planned to construct large-capacity tankers of this class entirely in Russia.

The vessel complies with all existing international and Russian standards of maritime safety and environmental protection. After entering service, the tanker will work on the transportation of crude oil and dark-oil products in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. Support for the project and the subsequent operation of the tanker Nikolay Zuev will be provided by Novoship.

The tanker Nikolay Zuev has a number of competitive technical advantages. In particular, the index of the energy efficiency of the new vessel is much lower than the basic level established for vessels of this class. The system enables the continued use of low sulphur (with a sulphur content of 0.1%) fuel. In conjunction with other measures, it makes the ship among the most environmentally friendly afloat. Her draught of 14.9 metres and increased beam of 46 metres provides the maximum possible cargo capacity when passing through the Baltic straits, and her dimensions accord with the requirements for the seaborne transportation of hydrocarbons to the terminals of Primorsk and Ust-Luga.

The ship’s cargo system allows the simultaneous carriage and pumping of three different types of fuels in 12 cargo tanks, including crude oil and dark-oil products. A special steering design is used to improve the propulsive efficiency and manoeuverability of the vessel; the submerged part of the hull is coated with anti-fouling, low-friction paint; the ship has monitoring equipment to provide the optimal speed parameters, draught and trim of the vessel, depending on the cargo loaded and navigational conditions; the company standards regarding crew living and working conditions have been fully implemented, with individual cabins of higher comfort levels being provided.

The President & CEO of Sovcomflot, Sergey Frank said: “Aframax tankers are the most in demand for the transportation of oil and oil-products both in Russia and globally. SCF Group is the world leader in this tanker-segment. We can say with confidence that the tanker Nikolay Zuev is the best Aframax in operation today, and I’m very pleased that Russian experts were able to experience the building of such a ship, during their work at DSME. It is a tradition of our company to name ships after prominent people, who have made significant contribution to the development of our country, as well as to the Russian maritime industry. We decided to name the lead ship of the series, built according to the latest technology standards, after one of the founders of our company – Nikolai Ivanovich Zuev.”

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Source: SCF Group, May 31, 2012