Rezekne tanker where built who belonged to. The LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie completed loading at the port of Sabetta and began its first commercial voyage under the Yamal LNG. Icebreaking gas carrier "Christophe de Margerie" made its first mooring

Gas tanker "Christophe de Margerie", filled with a test volume of liquefied natural gas, arrived for the first time in the port of Sabetta (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug) along the northern sea route.

The ice-breaking and maneuverability of the first and so far the only gas carrier for the Yamal LNG plant was fully confirmed by ice tests that took place from February 19 to March 8 in the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea, the icebreaking gas carrier managed to exceed many design indicators. "Christophe de Margerie" proved the ability to move stern forward in ice 1.5 meters thick at a speed of 7.2 knots (target - 5 knots) and bow at a speed of 2.5 knots (target - 2 knots). In the coastal area west of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago "Christophe de Margerie" successfully overcame a hummock with a height of 4.5 m above the ice, keel depth 12-15 m, cross-sectional area 650 m² .

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In the port of Sabetta, it completes its first voyage along the western part of the Northern Sea Route. In Sabetta, the crew of the tanker and port workers will work out the procedure for entering the port and mooring. In difficult ice conditions and a small port area, this is not easy, because the length of the gas carrier is 300 meters.

Unique icebreaking LNG carrier "Christophe de Margerie"(Christophe de Margerie) ice class Arc7 is the first of fifteen Sovcomflot LNG carriers* for the Yamal LNG project. It is capable of operating at temperatures up to minus 52 degrees, mThe power of the propulsion plant of the gas carrier is 45 MW. It includes rudder propellers of the Azipod type. They provide high ice-breaking and maneuverability and allow using the stern-forward movement principle, which is necessary to overcome hummocks and heavy ice fields. At the same time, Christophe de Margerie** became the first Arctic ice-class vessel in the world to have three Azipods installed at once.

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The crew is 29 people and is fully staffed by Russian sailors.The regular officer staff of the gas carrier includes 13 people, each of which has extensive experience in Arctic shipping and additionally received specialized training at the Sovcomflot Training and Simulator Center in St. Petersburg.

Representatives of the shipyard (Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering), key equipment suppliers (primarily ABB, the manufacturer of Azipods), leading specialized research and design organizations, both Russian (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Krylov SSC ), and international (Aker Arctic Research Centre, Hamburg Ship Model Basin).

During the first call at the port of Sabetta, the gas carrier also successfully carried out a test passage through a specially created sea channel - the most difficult section of the Ob Bay in terms of navigation. The canal was laid in order to overcome the bar (sandy underwater shallows) by large-tonnage vessels at the confluence of the Ob into the Kara Sea. The engineering structure, unique for the Arctic Basin, is planned to be operated in difficult conditions of constant ice drift. The channel has a depth of 15 m, a width of 295 m, and a length of 50 km.

The tanker was built in accordance with all the requirements of the Polar Code and is distinguished by high environmental safety. Along with conventional fuels, the ship's propulsion system can use boil-off liquefied natural gas. Compared to traditional heavy fuel, the use of LNG can significantly reduce emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere: by 90% sulfur oxides (SOx), 80% nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 15% carbon dioxide (CO2).

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For further berthing, the tanker will be moved to a technological berth designed to carry out cargo operations for loading tankers with liquefied natural gas obtained at the plant for its processing.

about the project

The Yamal LNG project is being implemented on the Yamal Peninsula beyond the Arctic Circle on the basis of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field. The Project operator is OAO Yamal LNG, a joint venture between OAO NOVATEK (50.1%), TOTAL (20%), China National Oil and Gas Corporation (20%) and the Silk Road Fund (9.9%).

The construction of the natural gas liquefaction plant is carried out in three stages with the launch in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The project provides for the annual production of about 16.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and up to 1.2 million tons of gas condensate with delivery to the markets of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

The cost of the project is estimated at $27 billion. Almost the entire volume has been contracted - 96% of the future volume of LNG.The logistics infrastructure of the Yamal LNG project is fully completed. Two checkpoints have been fully operational - the sea one at the port of Sabetta and the air one at the airport of Sabetta.

resource base

The resource base for the implementation of the Yamal LNG Project is the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field, discovered in 1974 and located in the northeast of the Yamal Peninsula. The license for the development of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field is valid until December 31, 2045 and is held by OAO Yamal LNG.

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A complex of exploration works was carried out at the field, including seismic exploration of CDP 2D, 3D, drilling of prospecting and appraisal and exploration wells, creation of geological and hydrodynamic models of the field. Based on the results of geological and hydrodynamic modeling, an assessment of gas and gas condensate reserves was made, which was approved by the State Commission for Mineral Reserves and confirmed by an international auditor.

The proven and probable reserves of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field according to PRMS standards as of December 31, 2014 amount to 926 bcm of gas. The potential level of gas production to meet the needs of the LNG plant exceeds 27 bcm per year.

In addition, Gazprom carried out comprehensive 3D exploration and seismic work at the Tambey group of fields over an area of 2,650 km² , 14 exploration wells were drilled, and the increase in reserves amounted to 4.1 trillion m³ gas. In this way, reserves of the Tambey cluster amount to 6.7 trillion m³ .

A number of deposits of the Tambey group contain the so-called wet gas, which is characterized by a high content of ethane, and the deep processing of wet gas components will undoubtedly increase the economic efficiency of the development of all reserves of the Tambey group.

Gazprom is ready to consider the possibility of creating joint ventures. First of all, they will focus on Russian companies that already have competencies in the field of gas liquefaction, which have experience in working with wet gas reserves. Most likely, they will cooperate with PAO NOVATEK, which recently signed a framework agreement with TechnipFMC, Linde AG and JSC Scientific Research and Design Institute for Gas Processing (NIPIGAZ).

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The document establishes the main conditions for cooperation in the design and further implementation of projects for LNG plants on a concrete gravity base as part of Arctic LNG-2, as well as subsequent LNG projects by NOVATEK.

NOVATEK also signed a license agreement with Linde AG to acquire a license for natural gas liquefaction technology for the Arctic LNG-2 project.

Thus, the Russian enterprise has acquired unique competencies in the implementation of the Yamal LNG project, which will allow optimizing the choice of a new technological concept for future LNG projects. The signed agreements pave the way for decision-making on the next Arctic LNG projects and are aimed at significantly improving their economy, which will ensure the competitiveness of their products in any world market.

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ARKTIKA drilling rigs were designed and manufactured especially for the project. The rigs are designed to operate in the difficult natural and climatic conditions of Yamal, they are completely protected from the winds, which ensures comfortable working conditions for personnel and continuity of drilling regardless of weather conditions.

LNG plant

An LNG plant with a capacity of about 16.5 million tons of LNG is being built directly at the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field on the coast of the Gulf of Ob.
The construction uses a modular installation principle, which significantly reduces construction costs in the Arctic and optimizes the project schedule. The production complex will include three gas liquefaction process lines with a capacity of 5.5 million tons per year each. The first phase is planned to be launched in 2017.

Under conditions of low average annual temperatures in the Arctic, less specific energy is required to liquefy gas, which makes it possible to achieve higher volumes of LNG production compared to projects located in southern latitudes and using similar equipment.

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After the launch of the plant, the hydrocarbon mixture from the wells will be supplied through gas gathering networks to a single integrated complex for the preparation and liquefaction of natural gas. At the entrance facilities of the complex, separation will take place - separation of mechanical impurities, water, methanol and condensate from the gas. The inlet facilities include methanol regeneration and condensate stabilization units.

The separated gas will be fed to the liquefaction process lines and will be sequentially cleaned from acid gases and traces of methanol, drying and removing mercury, extracting fractions of ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbons. Further, the purified gas will be supplied for pre-cooling and liquefaction. LNG will be stored in special isothermal closed-type tanks; it is planned to build four tanks with a capacity of 160,000 m³ each.

The integrated complex will also include LPG fractionation units, stable condensate and refrigerant storage parks, a 376 MW power plant, plant engineering systems and flares.

Sabetta settlement

The village of Sabetta, located on the eastern coast of the Yamal Peninsula, is a stronghold for the Yamal LNG Project. In the 80s of the 20th century, the Tambey expedition of exploratory drilling for oil and gas was located in Sabetta.

During the implementation of the Yamal LNG Project, a modern infrastructure was created in the village for the construction workers to live, auxiliary facilities of the life support complex were erected: a fuel storage warehouse, a boiler room, canteens, a first-aid post, a bathhouse, a sports complex, an administrative and amenity complex, a hotel, sewerage and water treatment facilities, warehouses food storage. Additional canteen, laundry, fire station, heated parking lot, additional housing are being built. The peak number of workers at the construction stage of the Project is 15,000 people.

The multifunctional port of Sabetta is being built as part of the Yamal LNG Project on the principles of public-private partnership. The federal property (customer of the construction of FSUE “Rosmorport”) will be ice protection structures, operational water area, approach channels, vessel traffic control and navigation support systems, marine services buildings. Yamal LNG facilities include technological berths for transshipment of liquefied natural gas and gas condensate, ro-ro cargo berths, construction cargo berths, port fleet berths, storage facilities, administrative and economic zone, engineering networks and communications.

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The boundaries of the seaport in the area of the village of Sabetta were established by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 242-r of February 26, 2013. By the Decree of the Federal Agency for Sea and River Transport of the Russian Federation of July 25, 2014 No. KS-286-r, the seaport of Sabetta was included in the register of Russian seaports.

The port is being built in two stages - preparatory and main. The preparatory stage is the construction of a cargo port for the acceptance of construction cargo and technological modules of the LNG plant. Currently the port is open all year round, accepts technological and construction cargoes.
The main stage of the port construction includes technological berths for the shipment of LNG and gas condensate. The readiness of the port to accept LNG tankers will be ensured in 2017.In the first quarter of 2017, the seaport registered 17 international ship calls along the Northern Sea Route, despite the fact that the beginning of the year is considered the most difficult in terms of ice conditions.

In the tundra in the north, beyond the Arctic Circle, a modern airport has been built that meets all international standards. In the first quarter of 2017, 16 international air flights from Belgium, China, Scotland and South Korea were already issued.For comparison, for the whole of 2016, only 11 international flights were issued. In early March, Russia's northernmost airport, Sabetta, on the coast of the Kara Sea, for the first time received the largest An-124 Ruslan aircraft loaded with cargo from China, delivering components for the construction of a giant Yamal-LNG gas liquefaction plant, weighing 67 .67 tons.

The airport complex includes an ICAO category I airfield, a 2704 m x 46 m runway, hangars for aircraft, a service and passenger building, including the international sector. The airport can receive aircraft of various types IL-76, A-320, Boeing-737-300, 600, 700, 800, Boeing-767-200, as well as MI-26, MI-8 helicopters. The airport operator is a 100% subsidiary of OAO Yamal LNG - OOO Sabetta International Airport.

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* Sovcomflot has been working as part of the first subarctic project on the Sakhalin shelf "Sakhalin-1" since 2006. In 2008, the company began shipping crude oil as part of the Varandey Arctic project, which is currently served by three SCF shuttle tankers - Vasily Dinkov, Kapitan Gotsky, and Timofey Guzhenko. As of March 1, 2017, they safely transported over 51 million tons of Varandey oil. In 2010-2011, after a thorough study of the issue with enterprises of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, Atomflot and interested charterers, Sovcomflot organized experimental cargo voyages of tankers SCF Baltika (117.1 thousand tons deadweight) and Vladimir Tikhonov (deadweight - 162.4 thousand tons) by high-latitude routes. Between 2010 and 2014, Sovcomflot ships made 16 high-latitude voyages, thanks to which the possibility of commercial use of the Northern Sea Route in summer navigation was proved and a new deep-water route north of the New Siberian Islands was mastered.

In 2014, Sovcomflot began transporting crude oil from the Prirazlomnoye field (Pechora Sea), for which St. Petersburg's Admiralty Shipyards built two SCF Arctic shuttle tankers, Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov. At the end of March this year, they transported 4 million tons of Arctic oil.

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At the end of autumn 2016, Sovcomflot started shipping oil from the Novoportovskoye oil and gas condensate field. For its service, a series of unique Arctic shuttle tankers was specially designed and built - "Shturman Albanov", "Shturman Malygin", "Shturman Ovtsyn" of high ice class Arc7, which allows to overcome ice up to 1.8 meters thick. The tankers are equipped with a powerful propulsion system consisting of two Azipod propellers with a total capacity of 22 MW. By March 2017, tankers had transported 1.3 million tons of Novoportovskaya oil.

** The unique icebreaking LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie of the Arc7 ice class built for the Yamal LNG project (Kara Sea) has joined the SCF fleet. This is the first gas carrier of the Yamalmax class, which has no analogues in the world. The ship was built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard (South Korea).It was launched in October 2016.tanker naming ceremony ice class "Christophe de Margerie", named after the deceased head of the French company Total, will be held in June in St.Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne.The estimated cost of the gas carrier is about $290 million.

The peculiarity of this vessel is its Arc7 ice class, the use of 3 Azipod-type RTOs, as well as the use of the so-called DAS concept (Aker Arctic Technologies Inc.), according to which the vessel can move bow forward in open water and stern forward in ice conditions , thereby carrying out movement in the ice without the help of icebreakers. The vessel has two full-fledged pilothouses - for stern and bow movement.

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Both navigation bridges equipped with TRANSAS MFD navigation system, consisting of 12 multifunctional workstations with a complete set of basic applications, including the ECDIS map navigation information system, the Navi-Radar 4000 radar station, the Navi-Conning 4000 navigation information display system, the BAMS signaling and alarm tracking system, and the Navi route planning station -Planner 4000, which allows, with a minimum participation of the navigator, to navigate the vessel along a pre-selected route.

The equipment of the vessel is made in full compliance with the requirements of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) and the international classification society BV. All equipment is designed and tested for year-round operation in harsh climatic conditions at temperatures down to -52°C.

The uniqueness of the equipment installed by Transas lies in the fact that all workstations located both in the bow and stern bridges are integrated into a single integrated system with the possibility of duplicating the main functions of the ship's operations to improve the safety of navigation. This is especially important in the course of the effective implementation of the large-scale Yamal LNG project, for which the LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie is intended.

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On December 8, 2017, the Arctic gas carrier Christophe de Margerie completed loading at the port of Sabetta (YNAO) and took on board the first batch of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced under the Yamal LNG project.

The ceremony was attended by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, as well as Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Andrey Belousov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Sergey Donskoy, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Anton Siluanov, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maxim Sokolov, Governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Dmitry Kobylkin, Chairman of the Board of PJSC NOVATEK Leonid Michelson, CEO and Chairman of the Board of PAO Sovcomflot Sergei Frank, representatives of Total, CNPC and Silk Road Fund.

Vladimir Putin said:

“We have a wonderful day today. I congratulate everyone who worked on this project on the first loading of the new tanker, which is named after our friend Mr. de Margerie. It is a pity that he is not with us today, but we have a tanker with us, which is named after him. He was one of the pioneers in this project. This is not only an important event in the country's energy sector, it is not only an important event in gas production and liquefaction. This is a larger project. I mean that we are facing huge, large-scale tasks for the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route.”

CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of PAO Sovcomflot Sergei Frank noted:

“Today's event is a historic moment in the development of the Russian Arctic. Never before have such large-tonnage transport vessels been able to operate year-round and autonomously in such extreme navigational and ice conditions as on the Yamal Peninsula. The technical capabilities of ships like the Christophe de Margerie cause sincere admiration, until recently the appearance of such ships seemed fantastic. Today's event was preceded by careful preparatory work of about 10 years, during which Sovcomflot implemented increasingly complex shipping projects in the Arctic Sea Basin. The experience accumulated by the company made it possible to develop an efficient and safe logistics scheme for Yamal LNG. We are pleased that the charterer appreciated the contribution of Sovcomflot and entrusted the transportation of the first batch of gas to the vessel of our company.”

Christophe de Margerie is the first in a series of 15 Arctic icebreaking gas carriers ordered to service the Yamal LNG project and year-round LNG transportation in the difficult ice conditions of the Kara Sea and the Gulf of Ob. The construction of this series marked the appearance on the market of a new class of vessels - Yamalmaks. The design of Christophe de Margerie was appreciated by oil and gas industry experts: on December 7, 2017, the ship won the prestigious international award 2017 S&P Global Platts Global Energy Awards in the Engineering Project of the Year nomination.

The design of the gas carrier allows it to independently overcome ice up to 2.1 meters thick. The vessel has been assigned an Arc7 ice class, the highest among existing transport vessels. The power of the Christophe de Margerie propulsion plant is 45 MW, which is comparable to the power of a nuclear icebreaker. The power plant includes three Azipod rudder propellers, which provide the gas carrier with high ice-breaking capability and exceptional maneuverability. "Christophe de Margerie" became the first ship in the world of the Arctic ice class, on which three Azipods were installed at once.

"Christophe de Margerie" is able to follow the Northern Sea Route all year round without the help of icebreakers to the west from Yamal, to European ports, and for six months (from July to December) - to the east, to the ports of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, the period of summer navigation in the waters of the eastern sector of the Northern Sea Route was limited to four months and only in the presence of icebreaking escort.

The crew of the ship is 29 people and is fully staffed by Russian sailors. The full-time officer staff of the gas carrier, headed by Captain Sergei Zybko, includes 13 people, each of whom has significant experience in Arctic shipping (training of Sovcomflot specialists to work on LNG carriers in ice conditions began in 2008) and additionally underwent specialized training in -the SCF training center in St. Petersburg.

The vessel is named after Christophe de Margerie, the former head of Total, who made a great contribution to the preparation and implementation of the Yamal LNG project and to the development of Russian-French economic relations in general.

Press Service of PAO Sovcomflot

Sovcomflot Group of Companies(SKF Group) is the largest shipping company in Russia, one of the world's leading companies in the marine transportation of hydrocarbons, as well as servicing offshore exploration and production of oil and gas. Own and chartered fleet includes 150 vessels with a total deadweight of more than 13.1 million tons. Half of the ships have an ice class.

Sovcomflot is involved in servicing major oil and gas projects in Russia and around the world: Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Varandey, Prirazlomnoye, Novy Port, Yamal LNG, Tangguh (Indonesia). The company's head office is located in St. Petersburg, representative offices are located in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol and Dubai.

The Christophe de Margerie, the world's first icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, successfully berthed for the first time at the gas terminal in the port of Sabetta (YaNAO). The PAO Sovcomflot tanker is designed to serve the Yamal LNG project and year-round LNG transportation in the difficult ice conditions of the Kara Sea and the Gulf of Ob.

On March 30, during a live teleconference between Arkhangelsk and Sabetta, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin accepted the report of the ship's captain Sergei Zybko on the successful completion of ice tests and the first mooring at the Yamal LNG terminal in the port of Sabetta. The Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation took part in the ceremony Maxim Sokolov, First Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Alexey Teksler, Chairman of the Management Board of PAO NOVATEK Leonid Mikhelson, President of the concern Total Patrick Pouyanne, Deputy Head of the State Energy Administration of the People's Republic of China Li Fanrong, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of PAO Sovcomflot Sergei Frank.

“I would like to congratulate you all on today's event - both Russian participants and our foreign partners. The arrival of a tanker of a new ice class is a big event in the development of the Arctic. As well as, in fact, the construction of the Sabetta port itself, where the tanker called today - a port that was built in an open field, as we say, from scratch, ”said in his welcoming speech Vladimir Putin.

“I would like to draw your attention to the fact that when developing the vast wealth of the Arctic, of course, we proceed from the main principle - do no harm - and from the fact that the ecosystem of this region is very sensitive to any human interference. But I know, I know for sure, because I am familiar with your work in detail, I know that the port of Sabetta itself, ships (the first of which arrived at this port today, and 15 of them should be built in total, including with the involvement of Russian shipbuilders) and myself the method of extraction, then transportation - all this is built on the highest technical, technological and environmental standards,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.

“I am very pleased to note that the new ice-class vessel, which, in fact, has no analogues in the world, is named after our great friend, French entrepreneur and former head of Total, Christophe de Margerie, who tragically passed away,” concluded of his speech by the President of the Russian Federation.

According to its characteristics, the icebreaking gas carrier "Christophe de Margerie" has no analogues in the world. It has been assigned an Arc7 ice class, the highest among the existing transport vessels. The gas carrier is able to independently overcome ice up to 2.1 meters thick. "Christophe de Margerie" can follow the Northern Sea Route all year round in the western direction from Sabetta and for six months (from July to December) in the eastern direction. Previously, the period of summer navigation in the waters of the Northern Sea Route was limited to four months and only in the presence of icebreaking escort.

The power of the propulsion plant of the gas carrier is 45 MW. This is one and a half times the power of the world's first nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" (32.4 MW). For one trip, the ship is capable of transporting 172,600 cubic meters. meters of LNG - this volume is enough to fully provide gas to a country like Sweden for four weeks. The length of the vessel reaches 299 meters (the height of the Eiffel Tower is 300 meters). The height of the vessel from keel to klotik is 60 meters (comparable to the height of a 22-storey building).

The crew is 29 people and is fully staffed by Russian sailors. The LNG carrier's full-time officers include 13 people, each of whom has considerable experience in Arctic shipping and additionally received specialized training at the Sovcomflot training and simulator center in St. Petersburg.

“Today's events are the result of the painstaking joint work of Sovcomflot, NOVATEK and Yamal LNG, which took about ten years. A project of this scale and complexity required a deep study of all the details. This is justified: the Arctic does not forgive haste and unprofessionalism. The starting point was Sovcomflot's successful projects in the Barents and Pechora Seas, as well as experimental transit flights along the Northern Sea Route, which Sovcomflot and NOVATEK jointly carried out in 2010-2011 with the support of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and Atomflot. We have proved that it is not only technically possible, but also economically feasible to use high-latitude routes as a transport corridor for large-capacity vessels. These results laid the foundation for the successful implementation of the Yamal LNG project, which would not have been possible without an efficient and safe logistics scheme for the sea transportation of LNG,” said Sergei Frank.

“The construction of the Sabetta port is carried out on the principles of public-private partnership and, in terms of its scale, is today the largest infrastructure project in the world implemented in the Arctic latitudes. The total investment is 108 billion rubles, of which 72 billion rubles. are federal budget funds, and a third are private investments. Now the port is actually operating normally.<…>The implementation of this project on a full scale made it possible not only to carry out the construction of an LNG plant, but also strengthened the position of the Russian Federation in the Arctic, served the development of the Northern Sea Route,” noted Maxim Sokolov.

“This region is the richest place in terms of its reserves. It is possible to produce more than 70 million tons of LNG here. Here it is possible to create a hub with a global market share of more than 15% by value. The created infrastructure will help to implement this in the shortest possible time," he stressed. Leonid Mikhelson.

The Christophe de Margerie is a pilot vessel for a series of 15 LNG carriers to be built to service the Yamal LNG project. The appearance of this gas carrier marked the appearance on the market of a new class of vessels - Yamalmaks. The Christophe de Margerie propulsion system includes Azipod-type propellers. They provide high ice-breaking and maneuverability and allow using the stern-forward movement principle (Double Acting Tanker, DAT function), which is necessary to overcome hummocks and heavy ice fields. At the same time, the Christophe de Margerie became the first Arctic ice-class vessel in the world to have three Azipods installed at once.

The ice-breaking capability and maneuverability of the new vessel were fully confirmed by ice trials, which took place from February 19 to March 8 in the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. During the tests, the ship managed to exceed a number of indicators:

The vessel has proven to be capable of moving stern forward in 1.5 meter thick ice at a speed of 7.2 knots (target - 5 knots) and bow at a speed of 2.5 knots (target - 2 knots);
The turning radius of the vessel in ice 1.7 meters thick was 1,760 meters, while the planned 3,000 meters.

During the first call at the port of Sabetta, the gas carrier also successfully made a test passage through a specially created sea channel. This is the most difficult part of the Gulf of Ob in terms of navigation. The canal was laid in order to overcome the bar (sandy underwater shallows) by large-tonnage vessels at the confluence of the Ob into the Kara Sea. The engineering structure, unique for the Arctic Basin, is planned to be operated in difficult conditions of constant ice drift. The channel has a depth of 15 meters, a width of 295 meters, and a length of 50 km.

Press Service of PAO Sovcomflot

Sovcomflot Group of Companies(SKF Group) is the largest shipping company in Russia, one of the world's leading companies in the marine transportation of hydrocarbons, as well as servicing offshore exploration and production of oil and gas. Own and chartered fleet includes 147 vessels with a total deadweight of more than 13.1 million tons. A third of the ships have a high ice class.

21:30 — REGNUM

As Sovcomflot reported, and then quoted by many world agencies, “On August 17, 2017, the gas tanker Christophe de Margerie successfully completed its first commercial voyage, delivering a batch of liquefied natural gas (LNG) along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) from Norway to the South Korea. During this voyage, the vessel set a new record for overcoming the NSR - 6 days 12 hours 15 minutes. At the same time, the Christophe de Margerie became the first merchant ship in the world that was able to navigate the NSR without icebreaking assistance throughout the route.”

What is this ship?

The ship was named after the head of the French company Total, Christophe de Margerie, who died in 2014 in a Falcon plane crash at Vnukovo airport. The tanker opens a line of 15 vessels of the Yamalmax class. The ships, however, are built not at Russian, but at South Korean shipyards, the shipbuilder is Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering. But indeed, some of the equipment is domestic, in particular, the gas carrier is equipped with the most modern navigation equipment of the St. Petersburg company Transas. For one voyage, the ship is capable of carrying 172,600 cubic meters. meters of LNG - this volume is enough to fully provide gas to a country like Sweden for four weeks. The length of the vessel reaches 299 meters, the height of the vessel from keel to klotik is 60 meters. The crew is 29 people and is fully staffed by Russian sailors. The full-time officers of the gas carrier include 13 people, each of whom has significant experience in the Arctic shipping and additionally received specialized training.

Ice class ship

The vessel has an Arc7 ice class, the highest among existing transport vessels. The ice class of seagoing vessels is a parameter showing their ability to stay at sea depending on the severity of ice conditions. In Russia, the ice classes of ships are regulated by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, which defines: “Arc7 (LU7) - independent navigation in close-knit 1-year-old Arctic ice with a thickness of up to 1.4 m in winter-spring navigation and up to 1.7 m in summer-autumn with occasional overcoming of ice barriers by raids. Navigation in the channel behind the icebreaker in 1-year Arctic ice up to 2.0 m thick in winter-spring and up to 3.2 m in summer-autumn navigation.

Thus, it cannot be said that the tanker is an ordinary transport vessel, it is a vessel of a certain ice class, which was created for work on the Northern Sea Route, taking into account the weather and climatic conditions that currently exist and are predicted in the near future. And the conditions in the last few years are relatively favorable, but even a decrease in the ice cover along the sea route does not allow ordinary transport ships to pass through the northern route without icebreaker escort.

It should be noted that the transition took place in August, the warmest month in the Arctic latitudes.

Sovcomflot says that Christophe de Margerie can follow the Northern Sea Route all year round in the western direction from Sabetta and for six months (from July to December) in the eastern direction. Once again, it should be noted that not all transport vessels can move along this route and within the specified time, but only those with a certain ice class. Of course, formally, the tanker is not an icebreaker, but it is close to it in terms of its characteristics.

Helps to overcome the ice and the peculiarity of the power plant of the tanker. In traditional propulsion systems, the engine is located inside the hull of the vessel and the rotation is transmitted to the propeller through intermediate shafts, sometimes through a gearbox. The tanker is equipped with three Azipod rudder propellers. Moreover, it became the first ice-class vessel in the world equipped with such columns.

The Azipod propeller-steering column consists of an electric motor located in a separate housing - a pod. The propeller is mounted directly on the motor shaft, which made it possible to transfer torque from the engine directly to the propeller, bypassing intermediate shafts or gearboxes. The rejection of intermediate elements made it possible to eliminate the energy losses that occur in them when energy is transferred from the motor shaft to the propeller. The installation is fixed outside the ship's hull by means of a hinged mechanism and can rotate around the vertical axis by 360°, which allows for better ship maneuverability both in heading and speed compared to conventional propulsion systems. In addition, such a technical solution reduces the volume of the engine room, thereby increasing the cargo capacity, which is very important for transport ships. Three engines provide high icebreaking and maneuverability and allow using the stern-forward movement principle, which is necessary to overcome hummocks and heavy ice fields.

The world's first ice-class LNG carrier has arrived at the Arctic port of Sabetta (located on the western shore of the Gulf of Ob in the Kara Sea) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) completed the construction of the vessel in South Korea in November 2016. Less than two months ago, it left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. On February 12, the tanker Christophe de Margerie (named after the CEO of Total, who died in a plane crash in 2014), filled with a test volume of liquefied natural gas (boiler LNG serves as fuel for the vessel), entered the Kola Bay, heading to Murmansk. Two days later, the gas carrier continued its journey east, to the Gulf of Ob, for testing in ice conditions. The vessel will enter the Yamal Trade time charter.

According to Rosmorport, this is the first call to the port of Sabetta for vessels of this type (length - 299 meters, width - 50 meters, draft - 11 meters): “The vessel will undergo sea and mooring trials at the technological berth for a month. It is also planned to perform skiving in ice conditions in the limited space of the turning basin in the water area of the seaport. In addition, technological processes for loading and unloading liquefied gas will be developed.”

Christophe de Margerie is the first of fifteen Arc7 ice class LNG carriers for the Yamal LNG project. Capacity - 172.6 thousand cubic meters. According to Sovcomflot, in terms of power plant capacity, 45 MW, the gas carrier is comparable to a nuclear-powered icebreaker. The tanker became the ancestor of a new type of vessel - YAMALMAX, associated with the transportation of large volumes of gas in the shallow Gulf of Ob.

LNG will be delivered from Sabetta to the Asian region by the Northern Sea Route during summer navigation. This will significantly reduce the time compared to traditional routes, as well as reduce fuel consumption by ships and reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Each vessel will cost approximately $350 million. The schedule for commissioning the production capacity of the LNG plant provides for the delivery of vessels from 2017 to 2021.

As a reminder, earlier Yamal LNG held an international tender with the participation of nine leading shipowners who have relevant experience and are qualified as operators of gas carriers. As a result of the competitive selection, the winners were: Sovcomflot (Russia), Teekay (Canada) in partnership with CLNG (China), MOL (Japan) in partnership with CSLNG (China), Dynagas (Greece) in partnership with CLNG and Sinotrans (China) . At the same time, only a Russian company has real experience of year-round operation of shuttle tankers in the conditions of the Arctic and subarctic seas - within the framework of the Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Varandey, Prirazlomnoye and Novoportovskoye projects.

The Yamal LNG natural gas liquefaction complex is being implemented by Novatek in partnership with Total (20%), CNPC (20%) and the Silk Road Fund (9.9%). The plant will be built on the resource base of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field (proven and probable gas reserves - 927 billion cubic meters). The plant's capacity is 16.5 million tons of LNG, the total investment is 1.27 trillion rubles. Commissioning is scheduled for 2017. Almost the entire volume has been contracted - 96% of the future volume of LNG. Last November, Novatek CEO Leonid Mikhelson invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the first LNG filling, which will take place no later than November 2017.