Gas voyage. LNG Tankers: Overview New Liquefied Gas Ship

Which is designed for the transportation of liquefied natural gas and, undoubtedly, the best in technical equipment is considered gas carrier,type Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier (LNGC) « British emerald» ... She became the flagship of a series of four ships of the same type in the British tanker fleet: British Ruby, British Sapphire and British Diamond.

Gas carriersbelong to a British company " BP Shipping Limited”, Which plays a leading role in the global natural gas market, offering progressive methods in delivering such a valuable resource to customers.

All were built in 2008 at the shipyard " Hyundai Heavy Industries»In South Korea. When developing the project of the vessel, the engineers were guided by the principles: economy and safety.

The first principle was realized thanks to new concept DFDE (dual-fuel diesel-electric), which means two fuels in one diesel-electric installation. DFDE technology allows engines to use vapors of the transported gas as fuel, and in addition, diesel fuel as standard. This technology is not new, but it has not been used on such before. Such an innovation gives gas carrieruniqueness. The new electromechanical system is more expensive to install, but it pays off in a year due to its high efficiency gas carrier.

This principle can significantly reduce the cost of diesel fuel, which is used on ships of this class, as well as reduce the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Safety gas carrierwas primarily achieved through a double hull.

the largest gas carrier in the world

gas carrier British Emerald

gas carrier "British Diamond"

gas carrier "British Sapphire"

gas carrier "British Ruby"

gas carrier tank

gas carrier "British Emerald" in the terminal

Secondly, on gas carrier a system is provided that cools the gas in containers to a temperature of - 160 degrees Celsius, thereby converting it into a liquid state, therefore, reducing the volume in a ratio of 600: 1 and volatility, which allows gas to be transported more profitably and safely. This system made it possible to free up space, which was used in the process to increase the usable volume. In addition, the hull showed high hydrodynamic characteristics, which significantly reduced water resistance.

Four gas supertankercan freely enter 44 ports and more than 50 terminals around the world. They replace eight previous peers.

Technical data of the "British Emerald" gas carrier:
Length - 288 m;
Width - 44 m;
Draft - 11 m;
Deadweight - 102,064 tons;
Marine propulsion system - four diesel-electric engines " Wartsila»;
Speed \u200b\u200b- 20 knots;
Cruising range - 26,000 miles;
Crew - 29 people;

There are two views of the Northern Sea Route. The supporters of the first argue that it will never become profitable and no one will use it en masse, while the supporters of the second argue that this is only the beginning: the ice will melt even more and this one may be most beneficial in certain circumstances. It seems to me that while the latter are winning. It is not for nothing that such topics are thrown about

Liquefied natural gas tanker Christophe de Margerie (shipowner PJSC Sovcomflot) successfully completed its first commercial voyage on August 17, 2017, delivering a shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) from Norway to South Korea.

During the voyage, the vessel set a new record for overcoming the NSR - 6.5 days. At the same time, "Christophe de Margerie" became the first merchant ship in the world that was able to cross the NSR without icebreaker assistance along the entire length of this route.

While crossing the NSR, the vessel covered 2,193 miles (3,530 km) from Cape Zhelaniya on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago to Cape Dezhnev in Chukotka, the extreme eastern mainland point of Russia. Exact time the transition was 6 days 12 hours 15 minutes.

During the voyage, the vessel once again confirmed its exceptional adaptability to work in high latitudes. The average speed during the crossing exceeded 14 knots - despite the fact that in some sections the LNG carrier was forced to go through ice fields up to 1.2 m thick.It is noted that the total duration of the voyage from Hammerfest (Norway) to Boryn ( South Korea) with the use of the Northern Sea Route was 22 days, which is almost 30% less than it would have taken when crossing the traditional southern route through the Suez Canal. The results of the voyage made it possible to once again confirm the economic efficiency of using the Northern Sea Route for the transit of large-tonnage vessels.
Christophe de Margerie is the first and so far the only icebreaking gas carrier in the world. The unique vessel was built by the order of the Sovcomflot group of companies for year-round LNG transportation within the Yamal LNG project. The vessel was commissioned on March 27, 2017 after the successful completion of ice tests that took place in the Kara and Laptev seas.

The gas carrier is capable of independently breaking ice up to 2.1 m thick. The vessel has an Arc7 ice class - the highest among existing transport vessels. The capacity of the propulsion system of the gas carrier is 45 MW, which is comparable to the capacity of a modern nuclear icebreaker. The high ice passability and maneuverability of the Christophe de Margerie are ensured by the Azipod-type propellers, while it became the world's first high-ice class vessel on which three Azipods are installed at once.
The gas carrier is named after Christophe de Margerie, ex-head of the Total concern. He played a key role in the development of investment decisions and the technological scheme of the Yamal LNG project and made a significant contribution to the development of Russian-French economic relations in general.

The Sovcomflot Group of Companies (SCF Group) is the largest shipping company in Russia, one of the world's leading companies in the sea transportation of hydrocarbons, as well as servicing offshore oil and gas exploration and production. Its own and chartered fleet includes 149 vessels with a total deadweight of over 13.1 million tons. Half of the vessels are ice class.

Sovcomflot is involved in servicing major oil and gas projects in Russia and the world: Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Varandey, Prirazlomnoye, Novy Port, Yamal LNG, Tangguh (Indonesia). The head office of the company is located in St. Petersburg, representative offices are located in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol and Dubai.

sources

Gazprom's long-term development strategy assumes the development of new markets and diversification of activities. Therefore, one of the key tasks of the company today is to increase the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and its share in the LNG market.

The advantageous geographical position of Russia makes it possible to supply gas all over the world. The growing Asia-Pacific region (APR) market will be a key consumer of gas in the coming decades. Two Far Eastern LNG projects - the already operating Sakhalin-2 and the Vladivostok-LNG, which is under implementation, will allow Gazprom to strengthen its position in the Asia-Pacific region. Our other project - Baltic LNG is aimed at the countries of the Atlantic region.

We will tell you about how gas is liquefied and LNG transported in our photo report.

The first and so far the only gas liquefaction plant in Russia (LNG plant) is located on the shores of Aniva Bay in the south of the Sakhalin Region. The plant produced the first batch of LNG in 2009. Since then, more than 900 LNG shipments have been shipped to Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, India and Kuwait (1 standard LNG lot \u003d 65 thousand tons). The plant annually produces over 10 million tons of liquefied gas and provides more than 4% of the world's LNG supplies. This share may grow - in June 2015, Gazprom and Shell signed a Memorandum on the implementation of the project for the construction of the third technological line of the LNG plant under the Sakhalin-2 project.

The operator of the Sakhalin-2 project is Sakhalin Energy, in which Gazprom (50% plus 1 share), Shell (27.5% minus 1 share), Mitsui (12.5%) and Mitsubishi (10% ). Sakhalin Energy is developing the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye fields in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. The LNG plant receives gas from the Lunskoye field.

Having traveled more than 800 km long - from the north of the island to the south - gas comes to the plant through this yellow pipe. First of all, the composition and volume of the incoming gas is determined at the gas metering station and sent for cleaning. Before liquefaction, raw materials must be removed from impurities of dust, carbon dioxide, mercury, hydrogen sulfide and water, which turns into ice when the gas is liquefied.

The main component of LNG is methane, which must contain at least 92%. The dried and purified feed gas continues on its way along the production line and begins to liquefy. This process is divided into two stages - first, the gas is cooled to −50 degrees, then to −160 degrees Celsius. After the first stage of cooling, the separation of heavy components - ethane and propane - takes place.

As a result, ethane and propane are sent for storage to these two tanks (ethane and propane will be needed in further stages of liquefaction).

These columns are the main refrigerator of the plant, it is in them that the gas becomes liquid, cooling down to -160 degrees. Gas is liquefied using a technology specially developed for the plant. Its essence is that methane is cooled using a refrigerant previously isolated from the feed gas: ethane and propane. The liquefaction process takes place at normal atmospheric pressure.

Liquefied gas is sent to two tanks, where it is also stored at atmospheric pressure until it is shipped to a gas carrier. The height of these structures is 38 meters, diameter is 67 meters, the volume of each tank is 100 thousand cubic meters. The tanks are of double-walled construction. The inner body is made of cold-resistant nickel steel, the outer one is made of pre-stressed reinforced concrete. The 1.5-meter space between the buildings is filled with perlite (a rock of volcanic origin), it maintains the required temperature regime in the inner body of the tank.

Mikhail Shilikovsky, the leading engineer of the enterprise, took us on a tour of the LNG plant. He joined the company in 2006, participated in the completion of the construction of the plant and its launch. Now the enterprise has two parallel technological lines, each of them produces up to 3.2 thousand cubic meters of LNG per hour. Separation of production allows to reduce the energy consumption of the process. For the same reason, the gas is cooled in stages.

An oil export terminal is located 500 meters from the LNG plant. It is much simpler. Indeed, here oil, in fact, is waiting for the time to be sent to the next buyer. Oil also comes to the south of Sakhalin from the north of the island. Already at the terminal, it is mixed with gas condensate released during the preparation of gas for liquefaction.

“Black gold” is stored in two such reservoirs with a volume of 95.4 thousand tons each. The reservoirs have a floating roof - if we looked at them from a bird's eye view, we would see the volume of oil in each of them. It takes about 7 days to completely fill the tanks with oil. Therefore, oil is shipped once a week (LNG is shipped every 2-3 days).

All production processes at the LNG plant and oil terminal are closely monitored from a central control room (CPU). All production sites are equipped with cameras and sensors. The CPU is divided into three parts: the first is responsible for life support systems, the second controls security systems, and the third monitors production processes. Control over the liquefaction of gas and its shipment rests on the shoulders of three people, each of whom checks up to 3 control schemes every minute during his shift (it lasts 12 hours). Speed \u200b\u200bof reaction and experience are important in this work.

One of the most experienced people here is Malaysian Viktor Botin (why his name and surname are so consonant with the Russians, he does not know himself, but says that everyone asks him this question when meeting). On Sakhalin, Viktor has been teaching young specialists for 4 years using CPU simulators, but with real tasks. A beginner's training lasts for a year and a half, then the coach closely monitors his work “in the field” for the same amount of time.

But the laboratory staff daily examine not only samples of raw materials supplied to the production complex and study the composition of the shipped lots of LNG and oil, but also check the quality of oil products and lubricants that are used both on the territory of the production complex and outside it. In this shot, you see how laboratory technician Albina Garifulina studies the composition of lubricants that will be used on drilling platforms in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.

And this is no longer research, but experiments with LNG. From the outside, liquid gas is similar to plain water, but it evaporates quickly at room temperature and is so cold that it is impossible to work with it without special gloves. The essence of this experience is that any living organism freezes on contact with LNG. The chrysanthemum, lowered into the flask, was completely covered with an ice crust in just 2-3 seconds.

Meanwhile, LNG shipment begins. The Prigorodnoye port accepts gas carriers of various capacities - from small ones capable of transporting 18 thousand cubic meters of LNG at a time, to such large ones as the Ob River gas tanker, which you see in the photo, with a capacity of almost 150 thousand cubic meters. Liquefied gas goes to tanks (this is the name for tanks for transporting LNG on gas carriers) through pipes located under the 800-meter berth.

Loading of LNG onto such a tanker takes 16-18 hours. The berth is connected to the vessel by special sleeves - standers. This can be easily identified by the thick layer of ice on the metal, which forms due to the temperature difference between LNG and air. In the warm season, a more impressive crust forms on the metal. Photo from the archive.

The LNG has been shipped, the ice has been melted, the standers have been disconnected, and you can hit the road. Our destination is the South Korean port of Gwangjang.

Since the tanker is moored on the port side in the port of Prigorodnoye for LNG shipment, four tugboats help the LNG carrier leave the port. They literally drag him along until the tanker can turn around to continue on its own. In winter, these tugs are also responsible for clearing the approaches to the berths from ice.

LNG tankers are faster than other cargo ships, and even more so they can give odds to any passenger liner. The maximum speed of the Ob River gas carrier is more than 19 knots or about 36 km per hour (the speed of a standard oil tanker is 14 knots). The ship can reach South Korea in a little more than two days. But taking into account the tight schedule of the LNG loading and receiving terminals, the tanker's speed and route are being adjusted. Our voyage will last almost a week and will include one small stop off the coast of Sakhalin.

Such a stop saves fuel and has already become a tradition for all LNG carrier crews. While we were anchored in anticipation of the appropriate departure time, the Grand Mereya tanker was waiting for its turn to dock in the Sakhalin port.

And now we invite you to take a closer look at the Ob River gas carrier and its crew. This photo was taken in the fall of 2012 during the shipment of the world's first LNG consignment by the northern sea route.

It was the Ob River tanker that became the pioneer, which, accompanied by icebreakers 50 Let Pobedy, Rossiya, Vaigach and two ice pilots, delivered a batch of LNG belonging to Gazprom's subsidiary Gazprom Marketing and Trading & Trading) or abbreviated GMT (GM&T), from Norway to Japan. The journey took almost a month.

The Ob River in its parameters can be compared with a floating residential area. The length of the tanker is 288 meters, the width is 44 meters, the draft is 11.2 meters. When you are on such a giant ship, even two-meter waves seem to be splashes, which, breaking against the side, create bizarre patterns on the water.

The Ob River gas carrier received its name in the summer of 2012 after the conclusion of a lease agreement between Gazprom Marketing and Trading and the Greek shipping company Dynagas. Prior to that, the vessel was called "Clean Power" and until April 2013 it worked all over the world for GMT (including twice passed along the Northern Sea Route). It was then chartered by Sakhalin Energy and will now operate in the Far East until 2018.

Membrane tanks for liquefied gas are located in the bow of the vessel and, unlike spherical tanks (which we saw at the Grand Mereya), are hidden from view - they are given out only by pipes with valves protruding above the deck. There are four tanks on the Ob River - 25, 39 and two 43 thousand cubic meters of gas each. Each of them is filled by no more than 98.5%. LNG tanks have a multi-layer steel body, the space between the layers is filled with nitrogen. This keeps the temperature liquid fuel, as well as by creating a higher pressure in the membrane interlayers than in the tank itself, to prevent damage to the tanks.

The tanker also has an LNG cooling system. As soon as the cargo starts to heat up, a pump is switched on in the tanks, which pumps colder LNG from the bottom of the tank and sprays it onto the upper layers of the heated gas. This process of cooling LNG by LNG itself allows to reduce the loss of "blue fuel" during transportation to the consumer to a minimum. But it works only while the ship is in motion. The heated gas, which can no longer be cooled, leaves the tank through a special pipe and goes to the engine room, where it is burned instead of marine fuel.

Gas engineer Ronaldo Ramos monitors the temperature of the LNG and its pressure in the tanks on a daily basis. He takes readings of the sensors installed on the deck several times a day.

A deeper analysis of the cargo is carried out by a computer. At the control panel, where all the necessary information about the LNG is available, the senior mate-backup Pankaj Puneet and the third mate Nikolay Budzinsky are on duty.

And this engine room is the heart of the tanker. Engines, diesel generators, pumps, boilers and compressors are located on four decks (floors), which are responsible not only for the movement of the ship, but also for all life systems. Well-coordinated work of all these mechanisms provides the team with drinking water, heat, electricity, fresh air.

This photo and video was taken at the very bottom of the tanker - almost 15 meters under water. The turbine is in the center of the frame. Driven by steam, it makes 4-5 thousand revolutions per minute and makes the propeller rotate, which, in turn, sets the ship itself in motion.

The mechanics, led by Chief Engineer Manjit Singh, make sure that everything on the ship works like a clock ...

... and second mechanic Ashwani Kumar. Both are from India, but by their own estimates, they spent most of their lives at sea.

Their subordinates - mechanics - are responsible for the serviceability of the equipment in the engine room. In the event of a breakdown, they immediately begin repairs, and also regularly conduct a technical inspection of each unit.

What requires more careful attention is sent to the repair shop. This one is also here. Third mechanic Arnulfo Ole (left) and trainee mechanic Ilya Kuznetsov (right) repair a part of one of the pumps.

The ship's brain is the captain's bridge. Captain Velemir Vasilic heard the call of the sea in early childhood - a sailor lives in every third family of his hometown in Croatia. At the age of 18, he already went to sea. Since then, 21 years have passed, he changed more than a dozen ships - he worked on both cargo and passenger.

But even on vacation he will always find the opportunity to go to sea, even on a small yacht. It is recognized that then there is a real opportunity to enjoy the sea. After all, the captain has many worries at work - he is responsible not only for the tanker, but also for each member of the crew (there are 34 of them on the Ob River).

The captain's bridge of a modern ship by the presence of working panels, instruments and various sensors resembles the cockpit of an airliner, even the steering wheels are similar. In the photo, sailor Aldrin Galang is waiting for the captain's command before taking the helm.

The gas carrier is equipped with radars that allow you to accurately indicate the type of vessel in the vicinity, its name and crew size, navigation systems and GPS sensors that automatically determine the location of the Ob River, electronic maps that mark the points of passage of the vessel and plot its forthcoming route, and electronic compasses. Experienced sailors, however, teach young people not to depend on electronics - and from time to time they are given the task of determining the location of the ship by the stars or the sun. In the photo, the third mate Roger Dias and the second mate Muhammad Imran Hanif.

Technological progress has not yet succeeded in replacing paper maps, on which the location of the tanker is marked every hour with a simple pencil and ruler, and the ship's log, which is also filled in by hand.

So, it's time to continue our journey. The "Ob River" is being de-anchored, weighing 14 tons. The anchor chain nearly 400 meters long is lifted by special machines. Several team members are monitoring this.

For everything about everything - no more than 15 minutes. No matter how long this process would take if the anchor were raised manually, the command to count is not taken.

Experienced sailors say that modern ship life is very different from what it was 20 years ago. Now discipline and a strict schedule are at the forefront. From the moment of the start, a round-the-clock watch was organized on the captain's bridge. Three groups of two people every day for eight hours a day (of course, with breaks), are on watch on the bridge. The duty officers monitor the course of the gas carrier and, in general, the situation, both on the ship itself and outside it. We also carried one of the watches under the strict supervision of Roger Diaz and Nikolai Budzinsky.

The mechanics have a different job at this time - they not only monitor the equipment in the engine room, but also maintain spare and emergency equipment in working order. For example, changing the oil in a lifeboat. There are two of them on the Ob River in case of emergency evacuation, each designed for 44 people and already filled with the necessary supply of water, food and medicine.

The sailors are washing the deck at this time ...

... and cleaning the premises - cleanliness on the ship is just as important as discipline.

Practically daily drills add variety to routine work. The entire crew takes part in them, postponing their main duties for a while. During the week of our stay on the tanker, we observed three drills. First, the team put out an imaginary fire in an incinerator with all their might.

Then she rescued a conditional victim who had fallen from a great height. In this frame, you see a practically saved "person" - he was handed over to the medical team, which transports the victim to the hospital. The role of each in the drills is almost documented. The medical team in these training sessions is led by the cook, Ceazar Cruz Campana, center, and his assistants, Maximo Respecia, left, and Reygerield Alagos, right.

The third training session - finding a simulated bomb - was more like a quest. Chief Mate Grewal Gianni (third from left) was in charge of the process. The entire crew of the ship was divided into teams, each of which received cards with a list of places required for checking ...

... and began to search for a large green box with the inscription "Bomb". Of course, for speed.

Work is work, and lunch is on schedule. Filipino Caesar Cruz Campana is responsible for three meals a day, you have already seen him in the photo earlier. Professional culinary education and experience on ships of over 20 years allow him to do his job quickly and playfully. It is recognized that during this time he traveled all over the world, except for Scandinavia and Alaska, and well studied the addictions of each nation in food.

Not everyone can cope with the task of satisfying such an international team. To please everyone, he prepares Indian, Malaysian and Continental cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maximo and Reigerield help him in this.

Often, the team members drop in on a visit to the galley (in the language of the ship they call the kitchen). Sometimes they are homesick and cook national dishes themselves. They cook not only for themselves, but also treat the entire crew. In this case, they collectively helped to finish the Indian dessert laddu, which was prepared by Pankach (left). As the cook Caesar finished preparing the main courses for dinner, Roger (second from left) and Muhammad (second from right) helped a colleague sculpt small balls of sweet dough.

Russian sailors introduce their culture to foreign colleagues through music. The third mate Sergei Solnov plays guitar music with primordial Russian motives before dinner.

Sharing free time on the ship is encouraged - the officers serve for three months in a row, the private for almost a year. During this time, all crew members have become not just colleagues, but friends for each other. The team on weekends (here it is Sunday: everyone's duties have not been canceled, but they try to give less tasks to the crew) organize joint movie screenings, karaoke competitions or team competitions in video games.

But active recreation is in the greatest demand here - in the open sea, the most active team sport is table tennis... At the local gym, the crew arranges real tournaments at the tennis table.

Meanwhile, the already familiar landscape began to change, and land appeared on the horizon. We are approaching the shores of South Korea.

This concludes the LNG transportation. At the regasification terminal, liquefied gas becomes gaseous again and is sent to South Korean consumers.

And the "Ob River", after the complete emptying of the tanks, returns to Sakhalin for another batch of LNG. Which of the Asian countries the gas carrier will go to after, often becomes known just before the vessel starts loading with Russian gas.

Our gas voyage is over, and the LNG component of Gazprom's business, like a huge gas tanker, is actively gaining cruising speed. We wish this big "ship" a great voyage.

P. S. Photos and videos were taken in compliance with all safety requirements. We would like to express our gratitude to the employees of Gazprom Marketing and Trading and Sakhalin Energy for their help in organizing the filming.

Gas tanker Christophe de Margerie (shipowner PJSC Sovcomflot) successfully completed its first commercial voyage on August 17, 2017, delivering a batch of liquefied natural gas (LNG) along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) from Norway to South Korea. This was reported by the press service of Sovcomflot a.

While crossing the NSR, the vessel covered 2,193 miles (3,530 km) from Cape Zhelaniya in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago to Cape Dezhnev in Chukotka, the extreme eastern mainland point of Russia. The exact transit time was 6 days 12 hours 15 minutes.

During the voyage, the vessel once again confirmed its exceptional suitability for high latitude operations. The average speed during the crossing exceeded 14 knots - despite the fact that in some sections the LNG carrier was forced to go through ice fields up to 1.2 m thick.It is noted that the total duration of the voyage from Hammerfest (Norway) to Boryeong (South Korea) with the use of the Northern Sea Route was 22 days, which is almost 30% less than it would take when crossing the traditional southern route through the Suez Canal. The results of the voyage made it possible to once again confirm the economic efficiency of using the Northern Sea Route for the transit of large-tonnage vessels.

Christophe de Margerie is the first and so far the only icebreaking gas carrier in the world. The unique vessel was built by the order of the Sovcomflot group of companies for the year-round LNG transportation within the Yamal LNG project. The vessel was commissioned on March 27, 2017 after the successful completion of ice tests that took place in the Kara and Laptev seas.

The gas carrier is named after Christophe de Margerie, ex-head of the Total concern. He played a key role in the development of investment decisions and the technological scheme of the Yamal LNG project and made a significant contribution to the development of Russian-French economic relations in general.

The Sovcomflot Group of Companies (SCF Group) is the largest shipping company in Russia, one of the world's leading companies in the marine transportation of hydrocarbons, as well as servicing offshore oil and gas exploration and production. Its own and chartered fleet includes 149 vessels with a total deadweight of over 13.1 million tons. Half of the vessels are ice-class.

Gas tanker "Christophe de Margerie", filled with a test volume of liquefied natural gas, for the first time arrived at the port of Sabetta (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug) along the northern sea route.

The icebreaking capacity and maneuverability of the first and so far the only LNG carrier for the Yamal LNG plant were fully confirmed by ice tests that took place from February 19 to March 8 in the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea, the icebreaking LNG carrier managed to exceed many design indicators. The Christophe de Margerie has proven its ability to move stern-ahead in 1.5-meter ice at a speed of 7.2 knots (target is 5 knots) and forward at 2.5 knots (target is 2 knots). In the coastal area west of the Nordenskjold archipelago "Christophe de Margerie" successfully overcame a hummock with a height of 4.5 m above the ice, keel depth 12-15 m, cross-sectional area 650 m² .

The President of Russia launched the first loading of a tanker with liquefied gas from the Yamal LNG plant \u003e\u003e

In the port of Sabetta, it completes its first voyage along the western part of the Northern Sea Route. In Sabetta, the crew of the tanker and dock workers will work out the procedure for entering the port and mooring. In difficult ice conditions and in a small port water area, this is not easy, because the length of the LNG carrier is 300 meters.

Unique icebreaking LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie (Christophe de Margerie), ice-class Arc7, is the first of fifteen Sovcomflot LNG carriers * for the Yamal LNG project. It is capable of operating at temperatures up to minus 52 degrees, mthe capacity of the propulsion system of the gas carrier is 45 MW. It includes rudder propellers of the "Azipod" type. They provide high ice-passing ability and maneuverability and allow using the principle of stern-forward movement, which is necessary to overcome hummocks and heavy ice fields. At the same time, "Christophe de Margerie" ** became the world's first ship of the Arctic ice class, on which three Azipods were installed at once.

"Christophe de Margerie" crossed the Northern Sea Route in record time \u003e\u003e

The crew is 29 people and is fully staffed by Russian sailors.The regular officer staff of the gas carrier includes 13 people, each of whom has extensive experience in Arctic shipping and additionally underwent specialized training at the Sovcomflot training and training center in St. Petersburg.

The ice tests were attended by representatives of the shipyard (Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering), key suppliers of equipment (primarily ABB, the manufacturer of Azipod), leading specialized research and design organizations, both Russian (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Krylov State Research Center) and international (Aker Arctic Research Center, Hamburg Ship Model Basin).

During the first call at the port of Sabetta, the LNG carrier also successfully carried out a test pass through a specially created sea channel - the most navigationally difficult section of the Gulf of Ob. The channel was laid with the aim of overcoming the bar (sandy underwater shoal) by large-tonnage vessels at the confluence of the Ob into the Kara Sea. The engineering structure, unique for the Arctic basin, is planned to be operated in difficult conditions of constant ice drift. The channel is 15 m deep, 295 m wide, and 50 km long.

The tanker was built in accordance with all the requirements of the Polar Code and is characterized by high environmental safety. Along with traditional fuels, the vessel's propulsion system can use stripped LNG. Compared to traditional heavy fuel, the use of LNG can significantly reduce emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere: by 90% sulfur oxides (SOx), 80% nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 15% carbon dioxide (CO2).

The fifth tanker for the Yamal LNG plant \u003e\u003e

For further anchorage, the tanker will be moved to the technological berth, intended for carrying out cargo operations for loading tankers with liquefied natural gas obtained at the plant for its processing.

about the project

The Yamal LNG project is being implemented on the Yamal Peninsula beyond the Arctic Circle on the basis of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field. The operator of the Project is Yamal LNG OJSC, a joint venture of NOVATEK OJSC (50.1%), TOTAL concern (20%) and the China National Petroleum Corporation (20%) and the Silk Road Fund (9.9%).

The construction of the liquefied natural gas plant is being carried out in three phases with launch in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The project provides for the annual production of about 16.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and up to 1.2 million tons of gas condensate with delivery to the markets of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

The project cost is estimated at $ 27 billion. Almost the entire volume has been contracted - 96% of the future LNG volume.The logistics infrastructure of the Yamal LNG project has been fully completed. Two checkpoints have been fully operational - the sea one in the port of Sabetta and the air one at the Sabetta airport.

Resource base

The resource base for the Yamal LNG Project is the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field, discovered in 1974 and located in the northeast of the Yamal Peninsula. The license for the development of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field is valid until December 31, 2045 and belongs to OJSC Yamal LNG.

New icebreaking supply vessel \u003e\u003e

A complex of geological exploration works has been carried out at the field, including seismic surveys of 2D, 3D CDPs, drilling of prospecting and appraisal and exploration wells, creation of geological and hydrodynamic models of the field. Based on the results of geological and hydrodynamic modeling, the assessment of gas and gas condensate reserves was carried out, which was approved by the State Commission for Mineral Reserves and confirmed by an international auditor.

The proven and probable reserves of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field according to PRMS standards as of 31.12.2014 amount to 926 billion m³ of gas. The potential level of gas production to meet the needs of the LNG plant exceeds 27 billion cubic meters per year.

In addition, Gazprom carried out comprehensive exploration and 3D seismic work at the Tambeyskaya group of fields on an area of \u200b\u200b2,650 km² , 14 exploratory wells were drilled, and the increase in reserves amounted to 4.1 trillion m³ gas. In this way, reserves of the Tambei cluster amount to 6.7 trillion cubic meters³ .

A number of fields in the Tambey group contain the so-called wet gas, which is characterized by a high ethane content, and deep processing of wet gas components will undoubtedly increase the economic efficiency of the development of all reserves of the Tambey group.

Gazprom is ready to consider the possibility of creating joint ventures... First of all, they will focus on russian companieswho already have gas liquefaction competencies, who have experience with wet gas reserves. Most likely, they will cooperate with PAO NOVATEK, which recently signed a framework agreement with TechnipFMC, Linde AG and JSC Scientific Research and design Institute for gas processing "(NIPIGAZ).

Gazprom is ready to start offshore laying of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline \u003e\u003e

The document establishes the basic conditions for cooperation in the design and further implementation of projects of LNG plants on a concrete foundation of gravity type within the framework of Arctic LNG-2, as well as subsequent LNG projects of NOVATEK.

NOVATEK also signed a licensing agreement with Linde AG to acquire a license for a natural gas liquefaction technology for the Arctic LNG-2 project.

In this way, russian enterprise acquired unique competencies in the implementation of the Yamal LNG project, which will optimize the selection of a new technological concept for future LNG projects. The signed agreements open the way for making decisions on the next Arctic LNG projects and are aimed at significantly improving their economies, which will ensure the competitiveness of the products produced in any world markets.

The Belkomur highway will provide an opportunity to implement 40 large investment projects \u003e\u003e

Drilling rigs "ARKTIKA" were developed and manufactured especially for the project. The units are designed to work in difficult natural climatic conditions Yamal, they are completely protected from the winds, which ensures comfortable working conditions for personnel and continuous drilling regardless of weather conditions.

LNG plant

An LNG plant with a capacity of about 16.5 million tonnes of LNG is being built directly at the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye field on the shore of the Ob Bay.
The construction uses a modular installation principle, which significantly reduces construction costs in the Arctic and optimizes the project implementation schedule. The production complex will include three process lines for gas liquefaction with a capacity of 5.5 million tons per year each. The first stage is planned to be launched in 2017.

With low average annual temperatures in the Arctic, less specific energy is required to liquefy gas, which allows for higher LNG production volumes compared to projects located in the southern latitudes and using similar equipment.

About the Silk Road \u003e\u003e

After the plant is launched, the hydrocarbon mixture from the wells will be supplied through gas gathering networks to a single integrated complex for the preparation and liquefaction of natural gas. Separation will take place at the entrance facilities of the complex - separation of mechanical impurities, water, methanol and condensate from the gas. The inlet facilities include methanol recovery and condensate stabilization units.

The separated gas will be fed to the liquefaction lines and will subsequently undergo purification from acid gases and traces of methanol, dehydration and removal of mercury, extraction of ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbon fractions. Further, the purified gas will be fed for preliminary cooling and liquefaction. LNG will be stored in special closed-type isothermal tanks; construction of four tanks with a volume of 160,000 m³ each is envisaged.

The integrated complex will also include liquefied petroleum gas fractionation units, stable condensate and refrigerant storage parks, a 376 MW power plant, plant-wide engineering systems and flare units.

Sabetta village

The village of Sabetta, located on the eastern coast of the Yamal Peninsula, is a focal point for the Yamal LNG Project. In the 80s of the 20th century, the Tambey expedition of exploration drilling for oil and gas was located in Sabetta.

During the implementation of the Yamal LNG Project, a modern infrastructure for the accommodation of builders was created in the village, auxiliary facilities of the life support complex were erected: a fuel storage warehouse, a boiler room, canteens, a first-aid post, a bathhouse, a sports complex, an administrative and amenity complex, a hotel, sewage and water treatment facilities, warehouses food storage. An additional canteen, a laundry room, a fire station, a warm parking lot, additional housing are being built. The peak number of employees during the construction phase of the Project is 15,000.

The multifunctional port of Sabetta is being built within the framework of the Yamal LNG Project on the principles of public-private partnership. The federal property (the customer of the construction is FSUE "Rosmorport") will have ice protection structures, an operating water area, approach channels, systems of vessel traffic control and navigation support, buildings of maritime services. Yamal LNG facilities include technological berths for transshipment of liquefied natural gas and gas condensate, rolling cargo berths, construction cargo berths, port fleet berths, warehouses, administrative and economic zone, engineering networks and communications.

The largest gas processing plant in Russia \u003e\u003e

The boundaries of the seaport in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Sabetta are established by order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 242-r dated February 26, 2013. Federal agency of sea and river transport of the Russian Federation dated July 25, 2014 No.KS-286-r the seaport of Sabetta is included in the register of seaports of Russia.

The port is being built in two stages - preparatory and main. The preparatory stage is the construction of a cargo port for receiving construction materials and technological modules of the LNG plant. Currently the port operates year-round, accepts technological and construction goods.
The main stage of the port construction includes technological berths for shipping LNG and gas condensate. The port will be ready to accept LNG tankers in 2017.In the first quarter of 2017, 17 international calls of vessels along the Northern Sea Route were registered at the seaport, despite the fact that the beginning of the year is considered the most difficult in terms of ice conditions.

A modern airport has been built in the tundra in the north beyond the Arctic Circle, which meets all international standards... In the first quarter of 2017, 16 air international flights from Belgium, China, Scotland and South Korea were already issued.For comparison, only 11 international flights were issued for the entire 2016. In early March, the northernmost airport of Russia, Sabetta, on the shores of the Kara Sea, for the first time received the largest An-124 Ruslan aircraft with cargo from China. , 67 tons.

The airport complex includes an ICAO category I airfield, a runway of 2704 mx 46 m, hangars for aircraft, a service and passenger building, including the international sector. The airport can receive aircraft of various types IL-76, A-320, Boeing-737-300, 600, 700, 800, Boeing-767-200, as well as helicopters MI-26, MI-8. The airport operator is a 100% subsidiary of Yamal LNG OJSC - Sabetta International Airport LLC.

Gazprom Neft launched the first project to study the Bazhenov formation in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug \u003e\u003e

* Sovcomflot has been working in the framework of the first subarctic project on the Sakhalin shelf "Sakhalin-1" since 2006. In 2008, the company started shipping crude oil as part of the Varandey Arctic project, which is now served by three SCF shuttle tankers - Vasily Dinkov, Captain Gotsky, Timofey Guzhenko. As of March 1, 2017, they safely transported over 51 million tons of Varandey oil. In 2010-2011, after a thorough study of the issue with the enterprises of the Russian Ministry of Transport, Atomflot and interested charterers, Sovcomflot organized experimental cargo flights of the tankers SCF Baltika (deadweight - 117.1 thousand tons) and Vladimir Tikhonov (deadweight - 162.4 thousand tons) by high-latitude routes. From 2010 to 2014, PJSC Sovcomflot vessels performed 16 high-latitude voyages, thanks to which the possibility of commercial use of the Northern Sea Route for summer navigation was proved and a new deep-water route was developed north of the Novosibirsk Islands.

In 2014, Sovcomflot began transporting crude oil from the Prirazlomnoye field (Pechora Sea), for which two SCF Arctic shuttle tankers, Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov, were built at the St. Petersburg Admiralty Shipyards. At the end of March this year, they transported 4 million tons of Arctic oil.

Arctic Oil \u003e\u003e

At the end of autumn 2016, Sovcomflot began transporting oil from the Novoportovskoye oil and gas condensate field. To service it, a series of unique Arctic shuttle tankers - Shturman Albanov, Shturman Malygin, Shturman Ovtsyn of high ice class Arc7 was specially designed and built, allowing to overcome ice up to 1.8 meters thick. The tankers are equipped with a powerful propulsion system consisting of two Azipod rudders with a total capacity of 22 MW. By March 2017, tankers transported 1.3 million tons of Novoportovsk oil.

** The SCF fleet was supplemented by the unique icebreaking LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie, ice class Arc7, built for the Yamal LNG project (Kara Sea). This is the first Yamalmax-class gas carrier, which has no analogues in the world. The vessel was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) (South Korea).It was launched in October 2016.Tanker naming ceremony ice class "Christophe de Margerie", named in honor of the deceased head of the French company Total, will be held in June in St. Petersburg, saidthe head of Total Patrick Pouyanne. The estimated cost of the gas carrier is about $ 290 million.

A feature of this vessel is its ice class Arc7, the use of 3 Azipod-type propellers, as well as the use of the so-called DAS concept (Aker Arctic Technologies Inc.), in accordance with which the vessel can move bow forward in open water and stern forward in ice conditions , thereby carrying out movement in ice without the help of icebreakers. The vessel has two full-fledged wheelhouses - for moving aft and moving forward.

Turkish Stream has been launched \u003e\u003e

Both navigation bridges equipped with navigation system TRANSAS MFDconsisting of 12 multifunctional workstations with a complete set of basic applications, including cartographic navigation information system ECDIS, the Navi-Radar 4000 radar station, the Navi-Conning 4000 navigation information display system, the BAMS alarm and tracking system, and the Navi-Planner 4000 route planning station, which allows the ship to navigate a pre-selected route with minimal involvement of the navigator.

The vessel is equipped in full compliance with the requirements of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) and the international classification community BV. All equipment is designed and tested for operation all year round in harsh climatic conditions at temperatures down to -52 ° C.

The uniqueness of the equipment installed by Transas lies in the fact that all work stations located both in the bow and in the stern bridges are integrated into a single integrated system with the possibility of duplicating the main functions of the ship's operational activities to improve the safety of navigation. This is especially important in the course of effective implementation of the large-scale Yamal LNG project, for which the LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie is intended.

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