The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, Limited Liability Companies Gazpromneft Marine Bunker and Gazpromneft Shipping signed a memorandum of cooperation for the Northern Container Transit (NCT) on September 11, 2023, during the Eastern Economic Forum. The NTC intends to establish the first regular container line to ship transit cargo between the eastern and the western Eurasia via the Northern Sea Route (NSR).
The signing ceremony was attended by Ekaterina Lyakhova, Director for Business Development of ROSATOM State Corporation, Anton Sobolev, General Director of Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, and Dmitry Zaikin, General Director of Gazpromneft Shipping.
The companies intend to build collaboration in construction and operation of the Arctic fleet that will be constructed as part of the NCT project. This collaboration comprises studying the possibility of supplying the project with the infrastructure required to organise its operations on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and working out best possible conditions for bunkering the fleet with LNG or other types of fuel. Cooperation between ROSATOM and Gazprom Neft’s enterprises will help improve environmental safety and sustainability of the first Arctic container line, and contribute to decarbonisation of shipping in Russia’s Arctic regions.
“Thanks to the development of a transit route through the Northern Sea Route, global trade participants will get additional freight delivery routes that reduce transportation times and environmental impact.” “We strive to make NSR transit predictable and safe, and we welcome partners who, like us, are committed to developing the Northern Sea Route to ensure a balance of its economic and environmental components”, – said Ekaterina Lyakhova, Director for Business Development, ROSATOM State Corporation.
“Decarbonizing shipping on the Arctic strategic transport routes is one of the key challenges for all participants across the industry. Today, we fuel every second ship in the Arctic with environmentally friendly fuel. Companies that transport freight across the Northern Sea Route as well as specialised vessels that operate under large projects are among our partners. To ensure a year-round supply of fuel to the polar fleet, the company has built an end-to-end logistical infrastructure, including its own ice-class bunkering ships to navigate at high northern latitudes”, stated Anton Sobolev, General Director of Gazpromneft Marine Bunker.
“The accumulated experience from operating the Dmitry Mendeleev, Russia’s first LNG bunker ship, allows us to offer members of the shipping sector the unique expertise that is needed when planning future routes and building marine transportation using low carbon footprint fuels. First of all, it concerns technical synchronization of fuel systems of new LNG refueling vessels and crew training to work with NGV fuel. For this purpose, we have previously initiated and introduced into the Russian shipping practice a relevant standard regulating technological processes and procedures for LNG bunkering. We also launched our own educational program”, said Dmitry Zaikin, General Director of Gazpromneft Shipping.
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ROSATOM State Corporation has been the infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route since 2018, ensuring safety and smooth operation of this transportation route. ROSATOM is expanding its logistics business, including the Northern Container Transit Project, which aims to create services for containerized freight transit transportation between the eastern and western parts of Eurasia through the Northern Sea Route.
Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker is the operator of Gazprom Neft’s bunkering business. It provides year-round supplies of marine fuels and lubricants for marine and river transport in the largest ports of the North-West, Black Sea and Far East regions, as well as in the Arctic and on inland waterways.
Gazprom Neft Shipping is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker, which acts as the ship owner and operator. It operates nine bunkering vessels, including Russia’s only LNG refuelling vessel, the Dmitry Mendeleev; three Arctic oil tankers, and two icebreakers.
