SCF Group and VEB.RF Group, a Russian financial institution, have signed an agreement for lease financing of the lead ship in a series of icebreaking LNG carriers to be built to serve the Arctic LNG 2 project. At the same time, SCF Group and Novatek Group signed a long-term time charter agreement for the tanker.
The vessel will be constructed at Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex in the Russian Far East. She is designed for year-round operations in the challenging ice conditions of the Kara Sea and the Gulf of Ob and will be able to sail independently through ice over two metres thick.
All the LNG carriers in the new series will be operated under the Russian flag. The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping will provide technical supervision during the construction of the vessel series.