Russia’s First Domestically Built LNG Carrier Begins Sea Trials

Russia has expanded its domestic shipbuilding capabilities with the completion of its first locally built LNG carrier, Aleksey Kosygin.

Constructed at the Zvezda shipyard near Vladivostok, this ice-capable vessel began its sea trials on December 25, 2024, and is expected to enter service by early 2025.

The Aleksey Kosygin is part of the Arctic LNG 2 project, an initiative to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s Arctic region.

The project, however, faced major backlash from Western countries. It had delays due to Western sanctions that have disrupted logistics and vessel construction plans.

The Arctic LNG 2 project originally envisioned a fleet of 21 specialised Arc7 LNG carriers to ensure year-round LNG transportation through the icy Northern Sea Route.

These vessels are designed with advanced icebreaking capabilities, capable of navigating ice up to 1.7 meters thick.

The vessel measuring 300 meters long and 48.8 meters wide, is powered by a 45MW propulsion system, enabling it to operate independently in extreme Arctic conditions.

Despite these capabilities, the fleet is far from complete, with none of the 21 vessels delivered as per the original timeline.

The construction of the Aleksey Kosygin was completed with the help of international collaboration. South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) built the hull and other complex sections before transporting them to Zvezda in 2021 for final assembly.

French firm GTT provided the gas membrane systems, while the leading European companies MAN and Wartsila supplied propulsion components.

SHI initially committed to deliver 15 hulls to Zvezda, but the contract was cancelled in 2024 after increasing sanctions targeting the project and the vessels linked to it.

Only five hulls were delivered before the agreement ended, leaving the remaining three hulls in different stages of completion.

The next vessel, Pyotr Stolypin, is expected to follow Aleksey Kosygin into service soon. However, like the first vessel, it faces challenges due to the withdrawal of Western suppliers.

Both ships, along with the Zvezda shipyard itself, are currently under U.S. sanctions.

Russia has been working on strengthening its shipbuilding capabilities, to stop its reliance on foreign nations. The Segezha Group, a Russian company, has produced tanker plywood used in insulation panels for LNG carriers.

Certified by GTT in 2022, this material has already been used in Chinese shipyards and could help in completing the remaining Arc7 vessels.

Despite these, critical components for the unfinished carriers remain an obstacle. GTT ceased its operations in Russia in January 2023 after the EU imposed its sanctions, leaving the vessel’s future uncertain.

References: FullAvanteNews, IndiaSeaTradeNews

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