On 4 December 2018, a naming ceremony for the Arctic condensate tanker “Boris Sokolov” was held at Guangzhou Shipyard International in China. The concept and design of the vessel were developed by Aker Arctic.
According to the company, the Arc7 ice class tanker was named after Captain Sokolov who commanded the world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker for almost 40 years. The vessel’s godmother was Yuliya Zobova from Novatek.
Aker Arctic began investigating options for year-round transportation of gas condensate in co-operation with Yamal LNG in 2014. Following the development of the Aker ARC 212 Arctic Condensate Tanker concept, a design licensing agreement for the basic design and construction of the vessel was signed with Guangzhou Shipyard International.
In the coming days, the “Boris Sokolov” is to join Dynacom Tankers Management’s fleet and begin its voyage from China to the Arctic along the Northern Sea Route. According to Aker Arctic, the tanker will be used primarily to transport gas condensate from Sabetta LNG terminal to customers in Europe and Asia.
“Boris Sokolov” is based on the proven Double Acting Ship principle that allows tankers and cargo ships to operate independently without icebreaker assistance in challenging ice conditions. When operating stern-first, the vessel can break up to 1.8 m thick ice in a continuous motion and penetrate ice ridges without backing and ramming. In moderate ice conditions and open water, the vessel sails normally in ahead direction. The independent icebreaking capability was verified in Aker Arctic’s ice model test laboratory in Helsinki, Finland.
Technical characteristics:
- Ship type: Product tanker
- Length: 214 m
- Beam: 34 m
- Draught (design/max): 11.7/12.65 m
- Deadweight: 43,300 tons (condensate), 49,700 tons (oil)
- Power plant: 2 x Wärtsilä 12V32 + 2 x Wärtsilä 16V32
- Propulsion: Diesel-electric, ABB Azipod (2 x 11 MW)
- Ice class: RMRS Arc7