Zvezda kicks off construction on Arctic LNG 2 vessel

Russian Zvezda yard has started building the fifth ice-class ARC7 carrier that will serve the Novatek-operated Arctic LNG 2 project.

The yard held a steel-cutting ceremony on September 28 for the fifth carrier out of fifteen on order, it said in a statement.

Zvezda added it would deliver this vessel in 2023.

To remind, Zvezda started to work on the first vessel in November last year. Russia’s largest shipping firm Sovcomflot ordered this vessel directly at the compatriot yard.

Novatek, Sovcomflot and VEB.RF finalized the construction and charter deals for the other 14 vessels with Zvezda in September last year.

Additionally, Arctic LNG 2 entered into a charter deal for the vessels with SMART LNG, a venture consisting of Novatek and Sovcomflot.

Following the first vessel, Zvezda started building the second LNG carrier in this batch in January this year and the third in April.

Zvezda kicks off construction on another Arctic LNG 2 vessel
Work starts on the fifth vessel (Image: Zvezda)

Each vessel will have a capacity of more than 172,000 cbm. They will be 300 meters long and over 48 meters wide and feature GTT’s Mark III containment system.

The construction of these carriers will ensure year-round transport of LNG along the Northern Sea Route to the Asia-Pacific region.

Moreover, it will also provide an important stimulus to develop the Russian shipbuilding industry.

Located on the Gydan peninsula, Arctic LNG 2 includes the construction of three trains with a capacity of 6.6 mtpa, each, using gravity-based structure platforms.

Novatek recently welcomed the project’s first modules from China. It expects to launch the project’s first LNG train in 2023, with trains 2 and 3 to follow in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Besides operator Novatek, the project partners include TotalEnergies, CNPC, CNOOC, and the consortium of Mitsui and JOGMEC.

Most Popular

Monkey Island LNG selects ConocoPhillips’ liquefaction tech

Monkey Island LNG has selected ConocoPhillips’ optimized cascade process liquefaction technology for its planned 26 mtpa liquefaction and export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

Italy’s Adriatic LNG to resume full ops by mid-September

Italy’s Adriatic LNG import terminal, owned by VTTI and Snam, expects to resume full operations by the middle of this month following the completion of maintenance activities.

Gasgrid says seven Inkoo regas slots booked

Firms have booked seven regasification slots at the Inkoo FSRU-based terminal for 2026 following the completion of the annual allocation procedure, according to Finland’s gas system and LNG terminal operator Gasgrid.

More News Like This

Russian LNG production down 4.2 percent in January-July

Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) production dropped 4.2 percent in January-July this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to the Russian statistics agency Rosstat.

Novatek reports lower H1 profit

Russian LNG producer Novatek reported a 34 percent drop in its net profit in the first half of this year.

Russian LNG production continues to decline

Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) production continued to decrease in June compared to last year, according to the Russian statistics agency Rosstat.

EU lifts sanctions against LNG carrier trio

The European Union has lifted sanctions against three ice-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers operated by Japan's shipping giant MOL and intended to serve Novatek's Arctic LNG projects in Russia.