MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th September, 2020) Russian energy giant Novatek said on Monday that it had chartered 15 Arc7 ice-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers that will be used for transporting LNG along the Northern Sea Route to the Asian Pacific region.
"Novatek announced that its joint venture Arctic LNG 2 entered into long-term charter agreements on 14 Arc7 ice-class LNG tankers with SMART LNG (a joint venture between Novatek and PAO Sovcomflot), with the construction of the LNG tankers to be built at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex," the statement read.
A contract for the construction of the fifteenth pilot LNG tanker was signed last year, the company noted.
"The construction of 15 state-of-the-art ice-class gas tankers ensures the core formation of the Arctic fleet for the Project that will allow the year round transport of LNG along the Northern Sea Route to the Asian Pacific region, and provide an important stimulus to develop the Russian shipbuilding industry," Novatek added.
The construction of each Arc7 ice-class tanker will cost around $318 million, according to last year's media reports.
