Aker Arctic secures contract on Arctic Tanker Design

Samsung Heavy Industries and the Russian shipowner JSC Sovcomflot have signed a contract for the construction of three high ice class 70.000 tdw Arctic shuttle tankers. This contract is based on a conceptual design developed by Aker Arctic. SHI will work under a co-operation and licence agreement with Aker Arctic, according to which Aker Arctic has given and will give support to SHI in designing and constructing these vessels. The three tankers, which are due to be delivered between end of 2007 and March 2009, will have an icebreaking bow and hull form which will allow the vessels to break ice up to 1.5 meters in thickness both ahead and astern, giving them possibility to operate practically independently on their shuttle route between the Varadei terminal and Murmansk for exports of crude oil from jointly by LUKoil and ConocoPhillips operated onshore oil fields. The high ice class vessels are to fly Russian flag and will have diesel-electric machinery and they will be fitted with twin 10 MW pod drives.