Russia's first domestically built LNG carrier, Alexey Kosygin, has been delivered, marking a milestone for the country's shipping industry.
Russia's state-controlled shipping company Sovcomflot and Zvezda Shipyard have officially announced the delivery of the country's first domestically built LNG carrier, the Alexey Kosygin. This vessel is the first of a new generation of domestic LNG tankers capable of operating year-round along the Northern Sea Route.
With a capacity of 172,600 cubic meters of LNG, the ship entered service on December 24, joining the Sovcomflot fleet. The delivery was delayed for years due to sanctions restricting the import of key ship components, with the vessel originally scheduled for delivery in 2023. During the construction process, Zvezda Shipyard collaborated with foreign shipbuilding companies for component production.
Sovcomflot CEO Igor Tonkovidov remarked on the delivery: "Today is a historic day for our domestic shipping and shipbuilding industry. We are commissioning the first natural gas carrier built in Russia. Our country has never produced such complex vessels in terms of engineering and technology before."
Established as the country's first large-tonnage shipyard at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zvezda emphasized that producing the LNG carrier required an intensive research and development process. Sovcomflot noted that the design of the vessel benefited from experiences gained from the Christophe de Margerie series of LNG tankers, which operate in challenging Arctic conditions.
Approximately 300 meters long, the Alexey Kosygin is designed to operate without restrictions in ice conditions. The vessel, which has a crew of 29, is capable of breaking through ice up to 2 meters thick.
The LNG-powered vessel generates a total of 45 MW of power thanks to three azimuth thrusters. The propulsion system was produced domestically at the Saphir facility located within the Zvezda shipyard complex.
The vessel's entry into service coincided with a period when Russia faced challenges in LNG shipments due to early and intense icing this year. Reports indicated that the Russian-flagged LNG carrier Buran had to turn back after several attempts to reach the LNG terminal.
According to plans, the Alexey Kosygin will serve under a long-term lease to Novatek, the company managing the Arctic LNG 2 project. Novatek aims to build 15 Arc7 ice-class LNG tankers and has contracts for a total of 21 LNG carriers.
Sovcomflot announced that it expects to receive two more LNG tankers from Zvezda Shipyard in 2026. Zvezda also reported that it delivered a total of seven vessels, including five Aframax oil tankers, during the 2020-2025 period as part of its capacity expansion efforts.
Source: www.denizhaber.com
