Zvezda Shipyard in the Russian Far East has started cutting steel for the first Russian-built MR product tanker powered by liquefied natural gas.
It will be the lead vessels in the series of three to be deployed by Sovcomflot carrying oil products and condensed gas under a time charter agreement with Novatek.
The IB ice class 50,000 dwt, 180 m LOA and 32 beam ships will have a draft of 13 m. They are designed to operate in the Baltic year-round, including in the ice conditions during winter.
The vessels will be equipped with a double-fuel technology enabling them to use environmentally clean LNG as bunker fuel.