voda schreef op 9 februari 2021 07:14:
Yamal LNG Arc7 Ice-Class Tankers Complete Voyages
PAO NOVATEK announced today that Arc7 ice-class Arctic LNG tanker Christophe de Margerie chartered by the Yamal LNG project successfully completed an independent passage along the Eastbound part of the Northern Sea Route on the 16th January, having reached the Bering Strait in 11 days with an average safe speed of 9.6 knots. The Christophe de Margerie was subsequently followed by a similar LNG tanker Nikolay Yevgenov, which is currently completing its independent passage along the NSR. Both LNG tankers will deliver approximately 140 thousand tons of LNG produced at Yamal LNG to destinations in the Asia-Pacific Region. The total time of cargo delivery by this route is 40% shorter than the traditional route through the Suez Canal.
Simultaneously, another Arc7 ice-class LNG tanker Nikolay Zubov, traveling in the opposite direction to the port of Sabetta after offloading its LNG cargo, entered the Westbound ice route along the NSR on the 6th January and subsequently reached the Ob Bay on the 17th January.
All three of the Arc7 ice-class LNG tankers independently passed the ice-covered part of the NSR, without ice-breaker support, along the navigational routes recommended by the State Research Center "Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute" and Atomflot’s Marine Operations Headquarters.
The aforementioned voyages took place in average ice conditions, two months after the end of the traditional navigation season in the Eastern part of the Arctic, which usually ends in November.
Source - Strategic Research Institute