VEB.RF and Sovcomflot Sign Financing Agreements for Construction of LNG-fuelled MR Tankers
The VEB.RF Group and Sovcomflot announced the signing of agreements on VEB-Leasing financing the construction of three new generation LNG-fuelled MR tankers at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Sovcomflot placed the order for three new generation MR tankers with Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex (Primorsky region) on December 28, 2018. Each tanker will have deadweight of 51,000 tonnes. The delivery of the vessels is scheduled for 2022-2023. The tankers will transport petroleum and gas condensate under 20-year time charter agreements with NOVATEK PJSC. The vessels will have Ice Class 1B enabling them to provide safe and reliable year-round shipping in challenging ice conditions, in particular in the Baltic Sea.
The vessels’ technical specifications have been designed to meet international regulations and conventions on emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides, and greenhouse gases, which come into effect in 2020. Comparing with conventional bunkering fuels, LNG can significantly reduce the emissions: sulphur oxides (SOx) by 100%, nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 76%, carbon dioxide (CO2) by 27%, low-dispersed particles by 100%.
Sergey Frank, President and CEO of Sovcomflot, said:
“Sovcomflot is one of the world leaders in the implementation of green technologies in the transportation of energy by sea. The company already successfully operates six new generation Aframax tankers powered by LNG. Five more LNG-fuelled vessels have been ordered by Sovcomflot from the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex and will be built over the next few years. We welcome the plans of Russian shipbuilders to create state-of-the-art large-tonnage LNG-fuelled vessels which, of course, represent the future of shipping.”
“We are pleased that this project is a next step in our positive experience of cooperation with the VEB.RF Group. VEB-Leasing previously participated in financing the construction of a number of Sovcomflot’s leading vessels in Russia, namely Arctic shuttle tankers of the Mikhail Ulyanov series, as well as new generation Aframax tankers being built at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex.”
“Shipbuilding is one of the largest engineering industries with significant scientific and technical potential. The support of this industry is one of the priorities of VEB-Leasing and VEB.RF to assist the industrial development of Russia,” VEB-Leasing’s CEO Artyom Dovlatov said.
SCF Group is the largest Russian shipping company and one of the world’s leading energy shipping companies, as well as a provider of services to offshore exploration and oil and gas production. The company’s owned and chartered fleet includes 146 vessels with a total deadweight of 12.8 million tonnes. More than 80 vessels have ice class.
Sovcomflot provides services to the following major oil and gas projects in Russia and abroad: Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Varandey, Prirazlomnoye, Novy Port, Yamal LNG, Tangguh (Indonesia). The company has its headquarters in St. Petersburg and representative offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol and Dubai.
Today SCF Group’s Green Funnel series of large-tonnage tankers include six oil tankers of the Gagarin Prospekt type (deadweight of 114,000 tones, Arc4). The lead ship in the series won the international Marine Propulsion Ship of the Year Award. In December 2018, SCF Group won Lloyd’s List Global Environmental Award - Individual Company. It was the initiative of Sovcomflot to introduce LNG as the main fuel for large-tonnage tankers that was highly praised by industry experts.
Sovcomflot is one of the largest customers of the Russian civil shipbuilding industry and contributes to localising the production of high-technology vessels in Russia. In recent years, Russian shipbuilders have built more than 20 vessels for Sovcomflot with a total cost of about USD1.3bn. SCF Group successfully cooperates with Russian companies like Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex, Admiralty Shipyard, and Vyborg Shipyard etc.
VEB-Leasing is part of the VEB Group. The Company’s core business is related to leases of modern aircraft, high-technology equipment, railway vehicles, sea and river vessels, motor vehicles and special-purpose equipment. As specified in the Memorandum on Financial Policies, one of VEB.RF’s priorities is contributing to Russia’s economic development by providing lease financing, delivering major infrastructure projects, and growing urban economy, including development of transportation systems, upgrade of housing and public utilities.
VEB.RF and Moscow Region Government to Promote Integrated Development of Moscow Region Urban Infrastructure
During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019, VEB.RF’s Chairman Igor Shuvalov and Governor of Moscow Region Andrey Vorobiev signed a cooperation agreement. The parties agreed to cooperate in addressing priority tasks of social and economic development of the region. The agreement specifies promoting integrated urban development of Moscow Region. The parties will jointly implement investment projects and promote the development of industrial, traffic, energy, utility and social infrastructure in the region. The agreement was concluded for a period of five years.
VEB.RF’s Chairman Igor Shuvalov said: “Modern urban economy is high on the agenda of the team of development institutions. We are accumulating the best international and domestic experience of investment, urban development, infrastructure modernisation and export encouragement. We are willing to closely cooperate with Moscow Region, one of the most dynamic regions in the country.”