Arctech Helsinki Shipyard to launch second supply vessel for Sovcomflot in 2012.
ST. PETERSBURG. July 27 (Interfax) - The second multifunctional supply icebreaker NB-506 for OJSC Sovcomflot, which is being constructed at the Arctech Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, will be launched this year, OJSC Untied Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) said in its annual report.
The first vessel for Sovcomflot, called the Vitus Bering, was launched into the water on June 30, 2012.
It was earlier reported that USC started building the first of the supply ships for Sovcomflot in January 2012. The vessel's hull is especially designed for operations in icy conditions and can safely sail through ice with up to 1.7 meters in thickness. The ship's diesel-electric power unit's capacity comes to 13 MWt.
These are the first supply vessels to be built by the corporation at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Oy, in which USC acquired 50% through the creation of a joint venture in 2010 with STX Finland.
The project's implementation commenced with metal cutting at OJSC Vyborg Shipyard (Leningrad Region), which collected a section of the blocks for the two supply ships.
The vessels are being built for providing services to an oil platform at the Arkutun-Dagi field in the Sakhalin-1 project. The start of the ships' operations will take place in the first half of 2013. The ships will be leased for a long-term with Exxon Neftegas Ltd (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corporation). The value of the contract for the vessel's construction has been put at $200 million
The wholly state-owned Sovcomflot is the country's biggest oil, petroleum product and LNG tanker operator and has one of the world's biggest tanker fleets.
