OREANDA-NEWS. September 16, 2010. The fleet of SCF Group was expanded with the delivery of a shuttle enhanced-class tanker – Kirill Lavrov.

The ceremony of acceptance took place at the Admiralty Shipyards, St Petersburg, the oldest shipyard in Russia, which is a member of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSC).

The tanker Kirill Lavrov is one of a series of Arctic shuttle tankers of 70,000 dwt, which are being constructed for the first time in Russia’s shipbuilding yards. These shuttle tankers have been specially designed to operate in Russia’s Arctic offshore fields.

The acquisition of the shuttle tankers and their further operation is being financed by the State Corporation – the Bank for and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank).

Vnesheconombank , acting as the Bank for Development and State Export Credit Agency (ECA) of the Russian Federation, provided a USD 230 mln. long-term facility for the acquisition of the tankers.

The construction of the tanker Kirill Lavrov has employed unique technological solutions, which are in demand for oil and gas usage in the Arctic and Far Eastern Sea projects. The operation of such vessels in developing the offshore oil and gas fields will enhance the level of ecological safety in such sensitive regions as the Arctic and Far Eastern Seas. In 2011 the ships are expected to be involved in the transportation of hydrocarbons from the Russian ports of the Barents and Pechora Seas to the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region, using the shipping lanes of the Northern Sea Route (NSR).

Construction of these high-tech tankers at a Russian yard incorporated in the OSC, to meet the order of Russia’s largest shipping company Sovcomflot, with financial support provided by a Russian bank, to deliver Russian oil and gas, vividly demonstrates the revival of the industrial, financial and transportation potential of the Russian Federation.

Panamax tankers Mikhail Ulyanov (delivered to SCF Group in February 2010) and Kirill Lavrov (70,000 dwt) have been designed to transport oil and gas condensate from the Prirazlomnoye field in the Barents Sea (operated by Gazprom Neft Shelf). The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping has classified the tankers as Arc6 ice class, enabling them to navigate in ice up to 1.2 metres thick. Unique technological solutions allow the tankers to navigate in the harsh climate of the Arctic seas. Arctic shuttle tankers apply the proprietary principle of double action, combining a specially designed ice-breaking stern for heavy ice and a bow for open water (the bow lines have been specially designed). The tankers are equipped with two Azipod propulsion units (a 360° rotary azimuth electric steering complex) of 17 MW propulsion capacity, a satellite dynamic positioning system, a helicopter pad and a bow loading system (in the Arctic version), together with a unique heat insulation and heating complex for all ship systems. The tanker’s length is 257m, breadth moulded is 34m and the draft is 14m.

Admiralty Shipyards is the oldest shipyard in Russia, established by Peter the Great on 5 November 1704. It is part of the OJSC United Shipbuilding Corporation. Today the yards are engaged in the design, construction and modernisation of merchant marine vessels, as well as in construction and rebuilding of ships for the Navy. Over three centuries, more than 2,600 navy and merchant ships have been built by the Admiralty Shipyards.

State Corporation “Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)” The Development Bank is one of the key instruments for the implementation of the State economic policy aimed at:

• removing infrastructural limitations to economic growth,
• increasing the efficiency of natural resources use,
• developing high-tech industry branches,
• opening the innovation and industrial potential of small and medium business, and
• supporting the export of industrial products and services.

Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov (1925-2007) was an actor of the Leningrad Bolshoy Drammatichesky Theatre (BDT). Starting in 1989 he became the artistic director of the BDT, the USSR People’s Actor, the Hero of Socialist Labour, the laureate of Lenin and State Prizes, the President of the International Confederation of Theatres Unions, the Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg.
Kirill Lavrov’s progress to the stage was by way of the Technical Aviation College and the amateur theatre in the Army. Kirill Lavrov demonstrated brilliant multi-faceted talent and depth of emotions. He was an outstanding personality of fascinating charisma. He was a great actor, who created a contemporary social portrait, and was a hero of our time.

SCF Group (Sovcomflot) is Russia’s largest shipping company and among the five leading tanker companies of the world. Its fleet comprises 149 vessels of more than 10.7 million tonnes (dwt) in total. The average age of the vessels in the tanker fleet is less than seven years (the world average vessel age being 12 years). SCF Group specializes in seaborne transportation of energy and owns the largest ice-class fleet, being No.1 in the Arctic shuttle tanker and ice-class LNG carrier segments. The company is a world leader in the product carrier and Aframax segment which is in great demand for Russia’s foreign trade and by oil and gas companies.
Arctic shuttle tankers of the SCF Group similar to Mikhail Ulyanov tanker have been operating for another Russian project tansporting oil from the Varandey field. (The project is operated by Naryanmarneftegaz – a joint venture between OJSC  Lukoil and ConocoPhillips.)