On January 19, 2021, a steel cutting ceremony took place for the new icebreaking LNG carrier ordered by SCF Group from Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex (Primorsky Region, Russia) for the Arctic LNG 2 project.
Shipbuilding, financing, lease, and time charter contracts for the vessel were signed by SCF Group, NOVATEK Group, Zvezda and VEB.RF Group in January 2020. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2023.
According to Sovcomflot, the delivery of this new generation of icebreaking LNG carriers, designed to the latest standards of safety, environmental protection, and energy efficiency, will help facilitate the growth of cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route and allow year-round navigation along the eastern part of the NSR, thereby enhancing the efficiency of large-scale industrial projects across the Russian Arctic.
The engineering solutions integrated into the design of this vessel series reflect SCF’s extensive experience of safely operating vessels in challenging ice conditions, including operations serving the Yamal LNG project. Compared to the preceding generation of icebreaking LNG carriers, vessels of this new series will have increased icebreaking capabilities and manoeuvrability. All new carriers will be assigned an Arc7 ice class.