Sovcomflot’s LNG-fueled Aframax completes NSR passage

Lomonosov Prospect, the second in the series of Sovcomflot’s six LNG-fueled Aframax tankers completed a commercial voyage along the Northern Sea Route (NSR).

The LNG-powered vessel is delivering a cargo of petroleum products from South Korea to Northern Europe.

The voyage from Cape Dezhnev at Chukotka to Cape Zhelaniya of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago took the Arc4 vessel 7.8 days to complete, during which the tanker covered a distance of 2194 nautical miles, Russia’s Sovcomflot said in its statement.

During the voyage, the crew tested the operation of the ship 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, Sovcomflot said.

Lomonosov Prospect was escorted by Atomflot’s nuclear-powered icebreaker Taimyr only when traversing the most navigationally and hydrographically challenging area of the Ayon ice massif in the East Siberian Sea.

At the moment, the vessel, delivered to Sovcomflot earlier this month is proceeding towards its destination port.