Sovcomflot, Takes Delivery of Indigenously Built Aframax Tanker
Sovcomflot took delivery of the first LNG-powered Aframax tanker that was completely financed and built in Russia. The delivery brings optimism to the state-owned shipping company which has been hard hit by Western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.
The new vessel named the Okeansky Prospekt is 112,650 dwt and is 250m long with a beam of 44m. It was built at the Zvezda SSC shipbuilding complex and was financed by the Russian State development corporation, VEB.RF. The new vessel will be registered in Russia and will be chartered by the Russian state-owned oil company, Rosneft.
The ship is a 1A/1B class vessel. This means that it will be able to transport oil throughout the year despite the icy conditions in the far east or in the Baltic. The vessel will also be dual-fueled and will have a top speed of 14.6 knots.
The steel-cutting ceremony for the ship was held back in June 2020 and the assembly of the vessel on the slipway began on November 2020. The ship was launched in August this year and the naming ceremony was held in September.
Sovcomflot has faced tumultuous times after it was hit by Western Sanctions. The company sold vessels back in April and May to reduce its exposure and has also canceled orders for three Arctic LNG carriers at South Korea’s DSME as it became difficult to pay installments for these vessels.
