Rosneft is expanding the fleet. The company ordered a new tanker

Russian oil company Rosneft strengthens the naval fleet. In May, through its subsidiary AO Rosnefteflot ordered an Arctic tanker. It will be built by Zvezda shipyard, located in the town of Bolszoj Kamen on the Japanese Sea.

The agreement between Rosneft and Zvezda was signed in May in St. Petersburg during the International Economic Forum. The contract concerns the construction of one Arc6-class ice tanker with a load capacity of 69 000 tonnes, but also provides for the possibility of ordering a second unit under the option law. At the same time, a 20-year charter contract was signed for a new ship between Rosneft and Rosneftoflot.

The tanker will be used to transport crude oil extracted from the Arctic complex of Trebs and Titov deposits. The unit will be 257 m long and 34 m wide. Rosneft stated in the communication that the tanker would sail at a speed of 15.5 knots. Thanks to the reinforced hull structure, providing an Arc6 ice class unit, the ship will break down a 1.5-metre ice cover of the sea and will be able to operate even at -45 degrees.

Rosneft stressed that the contract is a consequence of a wider contract signed with Zevzda shipyard in September 2017 concerning the construction of the Arc6 and Arc7 class ice tankers. Rosneft has already ordered 26 ships in this yard, including 12 ice tankers.

The construction of another tanker is intended to support the development of Zevzda shipbuilding and industrial cluster. It is also intended to activate the shipbuilding industry, located in the Russian Far East. The contract is also expected to have a positive impact on the development of Rosneft's maritime logistics infrastructure.

Zevzda's shipyard complex in the Russian far east is still under construction, and the second stage of the gigantic investment is currently underway. The construction of a new shipbuilding complex based on the former Zevzda shipyard entered the implementation phase a few years ago. In 2013, a consortium aimed at building a shipbuilding industry centre in the Russian Far East was established by Russian companies Rosneft, Gazprombank and Sovocomflot. The complex is primarily intended to build new ships for Russian power giants, as well as elements of offshore construction.

Signature: mb

More news about the shipbuilding industry – see.