On June 4, 2021, Sovcomflot and Sakhalin Energy, the operator of the Sakhalin-2 project, signed long-term time-charter contracts for two LNG-fuelled tankers of SCF’s ‘Green Funnel’ series, “Korolev Prospect” and “Vernadsky Prospect”.
The agreements were signed at the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum by Igor Tonkovidov, President and CEO of Sovcomflot, and Roman Dashkov, CEO of Sakhalin Energy, in the presence of Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Pavel Sorokin, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy, and Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom.
According to SCF, the vessels will be delivered to the charterer in 2024 and employed to shuttle crude oil for the Sakhalin-2 project for ten years, with an extension option for up to three years. Prior to delivery, both tankers will be upgraded, including the installation of a bow loading system and a modification to their LNG bunkering systems to allow direct fuelling from the project’s Prigorodnoe LNG terminal.
Following the delivery of these two vessels to the charterer, the shuttle tankers currently employed at the Sakhalin-2 will continue to provide shipping services to other Sovcomflot customers.