Sovcomflot Tankers Complete Northern Sea Route Transit on LNG Fuel

Russian shipping company Sovcomflot has sent two more large-capacity, LNG-powered tankers through the Northern Sea Route.

According to the company, the Aframax tankers Mendeleev Prospect and Lomonosov Prospect successfully completed eastbound voyages along the NSR from the Baltic port of Primorsk to China, on October 16 and 19, respectively, using only LNG fuel.

The vessel’s completed the NSR portion of the voyage in a little over 7 days, covering a distance of around 2,100 nautical miles at an average speed of 12 knots.

Both voyages were completed without icebreaker support.

The voyages follow the successful NSR transit by the Lomonosov Prospect back in October 2018. The voyage marked the first time a large-capacity, LNG-powered tanker transited the NSR.

This year, Sovcomflot has now tallied a total of six transits of the NSR using only LNG fuel. Three of the voyages were completed in September, followed by the Mendeleev Prospect and Lomonosov Prospect this month. A similar tanker also recently completed a westbound voyage.

Sovcomflot currently has six LNG-fueled ice-class oil tankers in operation, all delivered in 2018-2019. Each has capacity of 113,000 dwt and is assigned an ice class of 1A/1B, with a length of 250 meters and a breadth of 44 meters.

“The transit voyage from Cape Zhelaniya to Cape Dezhnev went smoothly,” commented Captain Mark Lyudnik, the Master of Mendeleev Prospect. “While in passage along the high-latitude route, the tanker ran exclusively on LNG. The tanker fuel system and other components have proved to be highly reliable. I would also like to highlight the exceptional training and skills of the crew. Special thanks to Sovcomflot onshore personnel who provided all the necessary navigation data and other information to the tanker crew and ensured its safe voyage while running on LNG.”