Sovcomflot crude oil tanker Gagarin Prospect has completed her voyage across the Baltic and North Seas from Primorsk to Rotterdam, operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine fuel.
Gagarin Prospect is reportedly the first Aframax crude oil tanker designed to operate on LNG as the primary fuel. The vessel used LNG fuel for its voyage to reduce its impact on the fragile environments of the Baltic and North Seas.
Sovcomflot has confirmed that it is gradually switching its conventional tanker fleet from traditional heavy fuel oil (HFO) to LNG. This is to reduce its environment footprint and to comply with tightening sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations, including the IMO’s 2020 global 0.5 per cent sulphur cap.
In September 2018, Sovcomflot confirmed an order with Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex for a series of two similar LNG-fuelled Aframax tankers, both of which will be time-chartered to Rosneft for 20 years each.
Sovcomflot expects to have six LNG-fuelled Aframax tankers in operation by the beginning of Q2 2019.
