Russian Ministry Of Transport News

Russia is hoping its shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will offset a sharp fall in pipeline gas exports to Europe, but a shortage of gas tankers and sanctions hold back its plans, analysts and industry sources said.Russia wants to boost its share of the LNG market to 20% by 2030 from 8% now, but a force majeure declaration by top producer Novatek over LNG supplies from its future Arctic LNG 2 project due to sanctions shows the hurdles it faces.Novatek's announcement comes after the United States last month imposed sanctions on Arctic LNG 2…

Russian maritime shipping company specializing in petroleum and LNG shipping, PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) held a traditional meeting of the company’s management with masters of Sovcomflot vessels on the eve of Russia’s Day of Marine and River Fleet Workers, celebrated on the first Sunday of July.The state-owned corporation said in a press note that in the lead-up to this day, Russian Ministry of Transport has awarded 43 masters and 48 chief engineers of Sovcomflot vessels its Badge for Accident-Free Work in Maritime Transportation.During the meeting, Sergey Frank, President & CEO of Sovcomflot, expressed his gratitude to the company’s senior fleet officers for their operational excellence and significant contribution to ensuring safe and reliable sea transportation of cargo for the company'

Inmarsat will introduce two new satellite payloads dedicated to the Arctic region in a partnership with Space Norway, and its subsidiary Space Norway HEOSAT.The new Global Xpress (GX) payloads support the rapidly growing demand among both commercial and government users for seamless, reliable, high-speed mobile broadband services in the Arctic and throughout the world. They specifically address rising demand for high-speed mobile broadband Fleet Xpress service capability from the merchant shipping…

Some Russian ships have stopped transporting cargo to Ukraine, deeming it risky after a Russian tanker was detained in a Ukrainian port as Kiev made good on sanctions against Moscow, two sources at shipowners said.It is the latest fallout from Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014 and the emergence of a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine.The Mekhanik Pogodin oil tanker, under the Russian flag, has been moored in the port of Kherson since Aug. 10, Reuters ship tracking data shows.A spokeswoman for a regional unit of the Ukrainian state security service (SBU) said the tanker had been detained in the port and prevented from offloading because its owner is on a list of sanctions imposed by Kiev."We are just following the law…

At a meeting of the scientific and technical council of the Central Research Institute of the Navy in St. Petersburg presented the concept of the Arctic Arc container class 7. According to the publication "Maritime News of Russia", the ship ICV51 project was developed in conjunction with experts CNIIMF MEB commissioned Rosmorrechflot Russian Ministry of Transport. Container capacity of 3 thousand. TEU, capacity - 45 MW. Arctic Container unlimited navigation area is a single-deck diesel-electric pyatitryumny with icebreaking bow. The vessel is designed for year-round transportation of high-latitude Northern Sea Route containers of international class, including the refrigerator.

The 16 MW Icebreaker for the Russian Ministry of Transport was launched at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard on March 25th, 2015. Before floating the vessel, she was given the name ceremonially by breaking of a champagne bottle on the bow of the vessel. The ship was named by the Godmother of the vessel Marina Vasilyevna Kovtun, the Governor of the Murmansk Region, who wished the best of luck for the Murmansk icebreaker. The vessel being built at Arctech belongs to the series of three new buildings ordered by the Russian Ministry of Transport from Vyborg Shipyard. The basic design and purchasing of major components will be provided by Vyborg Shipyard as well as 40% of the vessels hull blocks. Arctech will be responsible for the construction, outfitting and commissioning of the vessel.

Russia’s renewed focus on the commercial shipbuilding industry was set as a key aim by Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev in his recent discussions on the development of the sector through 2015. Various industry ministries have been charged with analysing industry prospects until 2030, with the findings to be submitted by January 2015. The Russian Energy Ministry was instructed to study the needs in dedicated fleet and other marine solutions for exploration, drilling and the transportation of crude oil, gas and gas condensate by 2030. This is to be undertaken in conjunction with OAO Rosneft, OAO Gazprom, LUKOIL, JSC NOVATEK and other stakeholders, taking into account the planned production volumes of hydrocarbons while developing offshore fields.

Arctech Helsinki Shipyard is now 100 percent Russian-owned as United Shipbuilding Corporation bought the remaining half of the company’s shares from STX Finland Oy. Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Inc. was founded in December 2010 as United Shipbuilding Corporation bought the first 50 percent of the shipyard shares from STX Finland, a subsidiary of the Korean-owned STX Europe. The joint venture was established to respond to the need of growing market of Arctic shipbuilding and to unite the Finnish and Russian maritime clusters.

Heavy lift operations offshore are an awe-inspiring feat, but an operation that requires consistent monitoring of man, machine and procedure to ensure they are conducted in as an efficient and safe manner as possible. Due to a growing focus on safety related to subsea lifting operations, DNV GL recently established a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to develop practical methods for reducing the risks and lifetime cost of steel wire ropes for subsea lifting applications, using an integrated systems approach.

Sonardyne International Ltd.’s Ranger 2 acoustic positioning technology has been selected by marine navigation systems group, Transas, for use on two new build ice-class multipurpose salvage vessels (MPSVs, the project is developed by Marine Engineering Bureau) commissioned by the Russian Ministry of Transport. The vessels are currently under construction at Nordic Yards in Germany and will each be fitted with dual Ranger 2 Pro systems, the highest specification available, to support complex underwater positioning and critical DP station keeping tasks.

Scana Industrier ASA has through its subsidiary Scana Propulsion recently signed new contracts: one for delivery of a propulsion systems to Kleven verft, and two more for tunnel thrusters to Nordic Yards and Guangzhou Salvage Bureau. The contracts have a total value of approx. 22 million NOK. This is for delivery of gear and propellers to a new construction vessel for Østensjø Rederi. The vessel is designed by Salt Ship Design and is to be delivered in March 2016. Scana Propulsion will provide gear and propellers within first quarter 2015. The contracts for delivery of tunnel thrusters have been signed with customers in Germany and China.

Nordic Yards started construction of two ice-breaking rescue and salvage vessels for the Russian Ministry of Transport today. The cutting of the first steel section, which traditionally marks the start of flame-cutting, was celebrated at the Wismar yard in the presence of representatives of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) classification society. The Russian Ministry of Transport ordered the two multipurpose rescue and salvage vessels from Nordic Yards in December 2012.

The hull assembly of an icebreaking multipurpose emergency and rescue vessel for Russian Ministry of Transport started June 28, 2013 at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. The vessel will be used in icebreaking, rescue and oil combatting operations in the Gulf of Finland. The vessel being built at Helsinki shipyard represents a completely new type of technology. The vessel features an asymmetric hull, patented oblique design and three 360 degrees rotating propulsors, which allow the vessel to operate efficiently sideways, astern and ahead.

The STX Turku Shipyard in Finland recently lost the order for a third Oasis class cruise ship and an option for a fourth to ”sister” shipyard STX France, when neither the owner, the financially troubled STX Group, nor the Finnish government wanted to inject a missing $64.3m to the capital of the shipyard. The yard is currently building two 97,000gt cruise ships for TUI Cruises. In January the shipyard delivered the world’s first LNG-fuelled big size passenger-car ferry, the Viking Grace for Baltic ferry operator Viking Line.

With construction underway on the first ever Oblique Icebreaker, research specialist Aker Arctic Technology  has unveiled a new version of the vessel type that will bring ice management and pollution control in thick first year ice to a new level. The first ARC 100  is due delivery to the Russian Ministry of Transport in early 2014, after a collaborative build involving Kaliningrad’s OJSC Yantar and Helsinki’s Arctech yards. The resulting newbuilding is a breakthrough in asymmetric three-thruster conceptual design…

Aker Arctic Technology to introduce the ‘Heavy Duty’ oblique icebreaker project for Arctic operations (Aker ARC 100 HD) at upcoming expo. The ARC 100 HD is a new advance on what is already recognised as a true design innovation to allow ice-going vessel operations in the harshest of environments. It is distinguished by its inclusion of new technical solutions covering oil spill response. Formal launch coincides with the start of hull assembly work on the first vessel to be built to the ARC 100 concept for delivery to the Russian Ministry of Transport by early 2014.

Nordic Yards in Wismar and Warnemünde, Germany, contracted to build two ice-breaking rescue & salvage ships for Russia. The vessels for the Russian Ministry of Transport, will operate on the Northern Sea Route (NSR)  in the Arctic, namely in the region of Murmansk, and in Sakhalin. The vessels will be used for patrols and rescue operations in offshore oil and gas fields. They are highly specialised, have a complex level of equipment and are designed for searching for and rescuing ships in distress, evacuating people and providing them with medical care.

Arctech Helsinki Shipyarda to build the icebreaker in conjunction with OJCS Vyborg Shipyard, for the Russian Ministry of Transport. The total value of the vessel is about EUR 100 million and the project will start immediately for the vessel will be delivered to the client in August 2015. The new icebreaker is planned to be used in year-round operation in the Baltic Sea and in summer season in the Arctic seas. The vessel is able to operate in temperatures as cold as -40°С and the maximum icebreaking capability is 1.5 m.

Arctech Helsinki Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build a 16 MW icebreaker for the Russian Ministry of Transport. The contract has been awarded together with OJCS Vyborg Shipyard. The total value of the vessel is about EUR 100 million. The project will start immediately and the vessel will be delivered to the client in August 2015. The vessel is planned to be used in year-round operation in the Baltic Sea and in summer season in the Arctic seas. The vessel is able to operate in temperatures as cold as -40°С and the maximum icebreaking capability is 1.5 m. The vessel belongs to series of three new buildings ordered by the Russian Ministry of Transport from Vyborg Shipyard.

The vessel will be used in the Gulf of Finland in icebreaking operations, sea towing of vessels and floating facilities and oil combatting. The multipurpose emergency and rescue icebreaker, which is being built in cooperation with shipyard Yantar, represents a completely new type of oil spill combat technology. The advanced oil recovery system is suitable for operation also in heavy waves. One of the special features of the vessel is that it will be able to move sideways, featuring a patented oblique design with asymmetric hull and three azimuthing propulsors…

Arctech Helsinki Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build a multipurpose emergency and rescue vessel for Russian Ministry of Transport. The contract has been awarded together with Shipyard Yantar JSC. The value of the order is about EUR 76 million. The project will start immediately and the vessel will be delivered to the customer in December 2013. The hull of the vessel will be built by Shipyard Yantar, which is one of the shipyards belonging to United Shipbuilding Corporation,  the Russian part owner of Arctech.

In 2006, Stena Bulk transported nearly 10 million tons of oil from the large Russian port in Primorsk, equivalent to a market share of about 15%. As part of its ongoing focus on developing projects and handling business support with a local presence in Russia and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Stena Bulk has now reinforced its Moscow office with the recruitment of Felix Mikhailovski. Felix Mikhailovski’s professional background includes positions at Murmansk Shipping Company (MSCO) and the Russian Ministry of Transport. Russian oil exports from Primorsk rose from 12 million tons in 2001 to 65 million tons in 2006 and are expected to increase to 70 million tons in 2007.