OREANDA-NEWS. October 10, 2008. The Naming Ceremony for gas tankers Tangguh Batur and Tangguh Towuti, designed to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) by sea, took place on 10 October 2008. The modern ships equipped with membrane-type tanks were constructed at the ship yards of Daewoo Shipping Marine Engineering on order from the Russian-Japanese-Indonesian consortium of the shipping companies – Sovcomflot, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) and Samudera Shipping Services for the international gas project – Tangguh (Indonesia).

At the solemn ceremony which took place at the yard of Pusan (Republic of Korea) the Russian side was represented by Nikolay Tokarev, President of Transneft, Vladimir Pakhomov, Director General of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK), Sergey Frank, CEO of Sovcomflot.

The acceptance of LNG tankers is an important stage in the Tangguh Project operated by British Petroleum (BP). During twenty years the tankers Tangguh Batur and Tangguh Towuti will deliver gas to the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region (APAC), mostly to Republic of Korea and China. The importance of LNG deliveries to the APAC countries is growing every year. According to experts, the implementation of the Tangguh Project will contribute to the strengthening of relations between APAC countries in energy sector.

According to Sergey Frank, Sovcomflot CEO, the participation of the Russia’s largest shipping group in the Tangguh International Project implementation shows that the position of Russia’s shipowners in the region is becoming stronger, that Sovcomflot technical management meets the highest international standards in the industry, and positions the company as a serious player in the sector of LNG seaborne transportation, possessing potential for the complex gas projects implementation, including transportation and logistical support of offshore oil and gas production in Russia’s Far-Eastern and Arctic seas.

“Fair water and smooth sailing!” – that’s what we say to seamen putting to sea. That’s what we would like to wish to the Sovcomflot new tankers, joining the fleet of Russia’s largest shipping group.

Tangguh Project

The Tangguh Project is being implemented by the consortium led by BP Berau. The plant’s capacity is 7.6 million tons of LNG a year. The market: Republic of Korea, China and the USA via Baja California terminal (Mexico). Deliveries to be started at the 1st half of 2009.

Project History

In June 2005 Sovcomflot jointly with NYK won the international tender for the transportation of LNG for the Tagguh Project.

Eight companies and groups were competing including such majors as Exmar, AP Moeller, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Teekay and MOL/K-Line. The Tungguh Project operators required 7 LNG tankers of 130,000 – 160,000 m3 capacity.

The offers were examined in various parameters, including freight rates, the availability of a vessel or the term of construction, the vessel’s capacity. The offer made by Sovcomflot/NYK was very competitive which resulted in winning the tender.

The main specifications of Tangguh Batur and Tangguh Towuti:
LOA – 285.4 m
Molded Breadth – 43.4 m
Capacity – 145,700 m3
Deadweight – 73,300 tonnes

The vessel is capable of carrying such volume of gas which is sufficient for supplying 200 thousand houses during a year.