Zvezda shipyard lays keel for new Arctic LNG carrier

Russia’s Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex held a keel-laying ceremony for the third ARC 7 icebreaking LNG carrier that will be servicing the Arctic LNG 2 project.

The participants of Arctic LNG 2 project approved the construction of 15 ARC 7 ice-class LNGCs at Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. This new vessel is the third of this series.

These will make the core formation of the Arctic fleet for the project that will allow the year-round transport of LNG along the Northern Sea Route to the Asian Pacific region.

Arctic LNG 2 project includes three LNG liquefaction trains of 6.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) each. It also includes a cumulative gas condensate production capacity of 1.6 mtpa. The total LNG capacity of the three liquefaction trains will be 19.8 million tonnes.

Zvezda shipyard began cutting metal for the lead vessel of the series back in November 2020. The main sponsor of the project and charterer of the cargo is Novatek.

This third LNG carrier carries the name of Sergei Witte, a Russian statesman and founder of Russian industrialisation.  

Moreover, Zvezda is the first Russian shipyard to implement a project for the construction of such ships. Icebreaking tankers transport LNG and are capable of operating in arctic conditions thanks to the enhanced ice-class ARC 7 and icebreaking capability up to 2.1 metres. In addition, these are 300 metres long and 48.8 metres wide vessels.

A distinctive feature of LNG carriers is the presence of GTT’s Mark III membrane-type LNG storage system. Additionally, the vessel will be equipped with three unique rudder propellers.

The Arctic LNG 2 project’s participants include Novatek (60 per cent), TotalEnergies (10 per cent), CNPC (10 per cent), CNOOC (10 per cent) and the consortium of Mitsui and JOGMEC (10 per cent).