SCF’s LNG-Fueled Aframax Transits Northern Sea Route

Lomonosov Prospect, Sovcomflot’s large-capacity tanker using LNG as its primary fuel, has completed a commercial voyage along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to deliver a cargo of petroleum products from the Republic of Korea to Northern Europe.

It took the vessel 7.8 days to complete the high-latitude voyage from Cape Dezhnev at Chukotka to Cape Zhelaniya of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, covering a distance of 2,194 nautical miles.

The voyage served as a perfect opportunity to test the ship’s engines and controls of the fuel systems using LNG, as well as the operation of navigation equipment and machinery in ice conditions and sub-zero temperatures.

The tanker traveled almost the entire NSR without any icebreaker escort, having covered some 950 nautical miles in ice conditions. The ship was escorted by Atomflot’s nuclear-powered icebreaker Taimyr when traversing the most navigationally and hydrographically challenging area of the Ayon ice massif in the East Siberian Sea.

At the moment, the vessel, crewed with 22 people, is proceeding towards its destination port.

Lomonosov Prospect is the second in the series of six Aframax tankers designed to operate on LNG as the primary fuel. The tanker was delivered to SCF in October 2018.

In September 2018, Sovcomflot ordered two similar LNG-fueled Aframax tankers from Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex , both of which will then be time-chartered to Rosneft for 20 years respectively.