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With fanfare, Russia marked the naming of its second new Arctic LNG carrier while it was celebrated as a key development for the country. The ship is part of a major building program designed to support the Arctic 2 LNG plant and expand shipping on the Northern Sea route, but has faced challenges and delays due to Western sanctions.
"This is an important event for the domestic transport and engineering industries and for the country as a whole," said Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in a message transmitted to the ceremony at the Zvezda Shipyard. "The project's implementation will help us achieve the President's objectives of ensuring sustainable year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route."
The project had been launched before the war in Ukraine, calling for the construction of 21 LNG ice-class carriers. Sovcomflot contracted for the vessels, which were to be partially built in South Korea and the hulls finished at the Zvezda Shipyard. Samsung Heavy Industries delivered five hulls before the project was canceled, while Hanwha Ocean is stuck with six vessels that it cannot deliver because of the sanctions.
In celebrating the naming of the new ship today, June 18, it was hailed as a domestic project that draws on Sovcomflot's experience in operating vessels in harsh Arctic conditions. The gas carriers are reported to be capable of independent ice navigation up to 2.1 meters (6.9 feet), with a rating of ARC 7 ice class. The vessels were built with financial support from VEB.RF, Russia's state development corporation, with the construction overseen by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.
Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin called the vessels a pivotal development, saying they would "strengthen the country's sovereignty." He said they were critical to the plan to maintain year-round operations on the NSR.
Sovcomflot highlights the vessel with a capacity of 172,600 cubic meters of LNG featuring hulls with optimized lines and efficient propulsion systems that make them highly maneuverable in ice conditions. The propulsion system has a capacity of 45 MW with three full-turn rudder propellers, each with 15 MW. The vessel is 81,000 dwt.
The second vessel of the class, it was named Konstantin Posyet, with officials saying it was a fitting name celebrating the mastermind of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The new ship will be homeported in St. Petersburg and have a crew of 29 Russian sailors.
Sovcomflot Chairman Sergey Frant highlighted that the new vessel "marks the transition to serial production on a new generation of Arctic transport fleet." He said the ships have already demonstrated their effectiveness during ice trials and operations of the first vessel of the class, the Alexey Kosygin, which was delivered in December 2025.
The Konstantin Posyet will operate under a long-term charter with the Arctic LNG 2 project. There was no mention of when future vessels of the class would be delivered.
Fuente: Maritime Executive
