Delivery of the First LNG Carrier Alexey Kosygin by Sovcomflot and Zvezda Shipyard

Russia’s Sovcomflot and Zvezda shipyard have announced the delivery of their first LNG carrier, the Alexey Kosygin. This vessel marks the beginning of a new series of domestically-built LNG carriers capable of operating year-round on the Northern Sea Route, aimed at achieving the target of tripling LNG exports.

The vessel, which has a capacity of 172 600 cubic meters, was officially commissioned and handed over to Sovcomflot on December 24. This delivery has been delayed for several years due to sanctions that prohibited the import of essential components. Initially, the ship was expected to be ready in 2023. Zvezda collaborated with foreign shipbuilders to create the components assembled in Russia.

Igor Tonkovidov, CEO of PAO Sovcomflot, stated:

“Today is a historic event for the entire domestic shipping and shipbuilding industry – we are commissioning the first gas carrier built in Russia.”

He emphasized the complexity of the engineering and technology involved in building such vessels.

Launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the country’s first large-tonnage shipyard, Zvezda emphasized that creating the gas carrier required extensive research and development. The design incorporated lessons learned from operating the Christophe de Margerie series in challenging Arctic conditions.

The new vessel measures 300 meters (approximately 984 feet) and is engineered to operate unrestricted on ice, with a crew of 29. It can handle ice up to 2 meters (6,5 feet) thick and utilizes LNG for propulsion, featuring a system with a 45 MW capacity and three full-turn rudder propellers. The propulsion system was also domestically manufactured at the Saphir plant within the Zvezda complex.

The delivery comes at a time when Russia has encountered difficulties in maintaining LNG shipments due to an early onset of heavy ice this year. Reports indicate that the Russian-flagged LNG carrier Buran was forced to turn back after several attempts to reach the LNH terminal.

Plans involve the new ship operating under a long-term charter to Novatek, the operator of the Arctic LNG 2 plant. Novatek aims to build 15 Arc7 ice-class tankers and has contracts for a total of 21 LNG tankers.

Sovcomflot anticipates receiving two more LNG tankers from Zvezda next year. The shipbuilder noted that it has already delivered seven vessels from 2020 to 2025, including five Aframax oil tankers, as the yard complex continues to enhance its capacity.