Ob Bay News

Sovcomflot's Arc7 ice-class Christophe de Margerie liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier has made history by successfully transiting the Eastbound ice-covered part of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in May, carrying LNG from Novatek's Yamal LNG project to China.The Russian vessel owner said the event marked the first time in the history of the shipping industry that a large-capacity vessel of this class has passed along the Northern Sea Route eastwards in May when the ice conditions in the eastern sector of the NSR are rather difficult.

PAO Novatek announced that its subsidiary OOO Arctic LNG 3 commenced drilling of the first well at the North-Obskiy license area located in the shallow waters of the Ob Bay.The initial well is drilled using a jack-up floating drilling rig “Amazon” leased from “Gazprom flot”. The drilling process is based on zero discharge principle, whereby all of the waste products are collected and transported 125 km to Sabetta onshore base."We commenced drilling our first well at the North-Obskiy license area characterized with significant geological potential and favorable location in terms of logistics,” – according to Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of Novatek's Management Board.“The license area is in close proximity to the exit from the Ob Bay in its Northern part…

Shipments from Russia's Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant picked up from late last week after maintenance and unseasonably thick sea ice impeded exports this month. The Boris Vilkitski LNG tanker left the area of the Yamal plant on Friday for France's Montoir terminal after spending more than a week idling fully-laden offshore. The Christophe de Margerie tanker, which had spent more than a week circling north of Yamal above the entrance to Ob Bay, went in over the weekend and appears to have loaded, according to ship-tracking data. It is now leaving the area. Last week, thick sea ice paralysed marine traffic in Ob Bay, Russia's state-run nuclear-powered tanker firm Roastomflot said.

Thick sea ice is impeding Arctic shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's newly-built export plant in Yamal, Russia's state-run nuclear-powered tanker company Rosatomflot said.Unseasonably severe ice conditions are also clogging routes to Asia through the Northern Sea Route (NSR), leading to the extension of the winter-spring navigation of Atomflot's nuclear ice-breakers, it said.The Novatek-operated LNG facility's fleet of LNG ice-breaking tankers aim to deliver gas to Northeast Asia along the NSR in summertime when ice sheets thin.In winter…

The world of dredging is an ever changing and endlessly fascinating niche of the global marine industry, an indispensable activity essential to keeping world commerce flowing. For insight on recent trends we visited last month with René Kolman, Secretary General, International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC), for his take on a world of dredging challenges and opportunities. In true Dutch fashion René Kolman is refreshingly forthright. Kolman assumed the mantle of leadership at IADC more than seven years ago, coming to the post from the landscape and garden trade association business.

The world’s first icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, Christophe de Margerie, has berthed at the gas terminal at Sabetta Port in Russia, becoming the first vessel to do so. Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) in South Korea, the tanker was designed to order for SCF Group, specifically to serve Russia’s Yamal LNG project, and transport LNG year round in the difficult ice conditions of the Ob Bay and Kara Sea. On March 30 the vessel’s master…

South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Sovcomflot have agreed to delay a liquefied natural gas carrier being built for the Yamal LNG project in Russia. According DSME statement the vessel, which was originally scheduled for June this year re-set the delivery date, will now be delivered in January 2017. No details have been disclosed on the reasons of the delay. In March 2014, DSME) signed with Russia's largest shipping company Sovcomflot to build 170000CBM level Polar special (ARC7 Ice-class) icebreaking LNG ship. The vessel is a prototype for a series of 16 Arctic LNG carriers, and will be the first to load at the liquefaction and export plant in Port of Sabetta (Ob Bay, Kara Sea), currently under construction.

The ceremonial launch of construction of the lead icebreaking support vessel for Gazprom Neft Novy Port was held today at Vyborg Shipyard, a corporate member of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. Guests were greeted by Kirill Voroshilov, First Deputy General Director of the Vyborg Shipyard, who noted, “The newbuild laid down at the shipyard is a multipurpose vessel and is capable of coping with a great number of tasks while operating in heavy ice conditions. This icebreaking vessel is unique and to date it has been unrivalled on a global scale. The icebreaking support vessel will be built in accordance with a design targetting maximum icebreaking capability and considerable maneuverability with comparatively shallow draught.

GAC Russia informs it has opened an office to provide ship agency and support services for vessels calling at the newly built port of Sabetta. Sabetta sits on the Ob Bay in the Yamal Peninsula, located within the Northern Sea Route. According to GAC, the region holds vast potential in terms of onshore and offshore oil and gas fields development and a number of considerable oil and gas projects are already at various phases of development. The port, where air temperatures drop to around -40 degrees Celsius in winter time, is ice-bound from October to June, and ice breakers have to be used to make the port accessible year-round. The opening…

GAC Russia has opened an office to provide ship agency and support services for vessels calling at the newly built port of Sabetta. Sabetta sits on the Ob Bay in the Yamal Peninsula, strategically located within the Northern Sea Route. The region has a vast potential in terms of onshore and offshore oil and gas fields development and a number of considerable oil and gas projects are already at various phases of development. The port, where air temperatures drop to around -40 degrees Celsius in winter time, is ice-bound from October to June, and ice breakers have to be used to make the port accessible year-round. The opening of an office…

Russia expressed optimism about plans for a short-cut Arctic sea route between Europe and the Pacific Ocean despite skepticism from the Russian military and some foreign shipowners. "Of course there are problems...but we look at the future of the Northern Sea Route with optimism," Russian Transport Minister Sergei Frank said. The seaway is almost 40 percent, or up or 4,000 miles (6,400 km), shorter than conventional routes via the Suez or Panama canals between Europe and Japan. The end of the Cold War has revived mariners' dreams of creating a commercial passage through the ice. Frank said Russia is studying the building of a new generation of nuclear ice-breakers…