South Korean shipyard STX Offshore and Shipbuilding have begun steel cutting for the first in a series of 4 LNG carriers for Russian owners
According to 'LNG World News' the ships will be built on a joint class of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) and Lloyd’s Register (LR) by order of Sovcomflot for Gazprom Global LNG, acting as charterer. RS will act as the leading classification society.
The ships are membrane-type LNG carriers with a capacity of 170,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas and will be equipped with a three-fuel diesel-electric propulsion plant, allowing to use LNG as fuel. The use of gas as fuel will significantly reduce emissions of NOx and SOx, which is a necessary requirement for modern ships within the tightening of international air emissions standards. Ships will be used for LNG carriage between the existing terminals, including year-round export of gas from Russia’s first LNG terminal, Sakhalin-2, and in the future, from the LNG terminal of the Shtokman gas condensate field.
For the purposes of project development RS surveyors received special training at shipyards in South Korea, China, in respect of the LNG carriers building, as well as survey of LNG carriers in operation in the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.