China Launches Its First All-Season Arctic LNG Tanker

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On December 6, China launched its maiden ice-breaker tanker capable of carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the icy Arctic waters all-year round.

Vessel Christened

The Arc7 ice class vessel built by China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International was christened ‘Boris Sokolov’ during the naming ceremony held in South China’s Guangdong province.

The vessel is capable of cruising through harsh Arctic winter even in temperatures below -50 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit). The vessel can transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the icy Arctic waters all-year round at minus 50 degrees temperatures.

Vessel Specifications

The ship is capable of carrying 44,500 tons of cargo and has ice-breaking tools located at both ends of the vessel, allowing it to cut through 1.8 meter thick ice and ice ridges below 15 meters (50ft).

The 214 meter long and 34 meter wide tanker was designed for Greek shipowner ‘Dynacom’ and is to be used for the $27 billion Yamal LNG project in Russia’s Arctic. The project began operations last December in Russia’s northwest Siberia and has already shipped two million tons of LNG.

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Source: RT