Shtokman could require 20 LNG carriers
Sovkomflot and Shell are entering a partnership agreement to be prepared for the huge potential for LNG-shipping from the Arctic.
The General Cooperation Agreement signed this weekend covers cooperation between the two companies in potential liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping projects in Russia, including on the Arctic offshore, Shell writes in a press-release.
The agreement describes how Russia’s leading shipping group Sovkomflot will join forces with the Dutch oil company Shell. It is a general co-operation agreement that covers wide-ranging potential shipping of liquid natural gas (LNG) from to-be-developed fields in the Russian Arctic region like the huge Shtokman-field in the Barents Sea and the planned LNG-plant on the coast of the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia.
Also, LNG-tankers is needed at Russia’s first ever LNG-plant at the Sakhalin project in the Far East.
According to an article in Lloyd’s List the two companies will work to improve LNG shipping technologies, including in difficult ice conditions, and development of floating storage and regasification units for deployment in remote regions of Russia.
Shell write in their press-release that this long-term international project is aimed at working out highly effective and ecologically safe transportation and logistical solutions for Russia’s future oil and gas projects implemented in the offshore fields of the Arctic.
BarentsObserver.com wrote Monday that Shell was one of the companies on Gazprom’s shortlist for the gas fields on Yamal.
The official signing ceremony was held within the framework of the meeting of Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, with Shell representatives. Quoted by Lloyd’s List Putin said the link between Sovkomflot and Shell would “allow us to not only use the freight capacity of Sovkomflot but also think of expanding and improving our own concept of specialised vessels construction, which, of course, will be in demand in the nearest future”.
Shell is already a leader in LNG shipping on the world’s oceans. Sovkomflot has the largest global ice class fleet and is №1 operator in the segment of Arctic shuttle tankers and ice class LNG tankers.
Gazprom in partnership with French Total and Norwegian StatoilHydro have created the Shtokman Development Company and plans to have the first LNG ready for shipping from the to-be-constructed plant in Teriberka on the coast of the Kola Peninsula sometime after 2014.
The Shtokman LNG project in the Barents Sea could require as many as 20 LNG carriers.
