Russian-flag welcomes first VLCC

   The Russian merchant fleet welcomed its first very large crude carrier (VLCC) during a naming ceremony last Thursday at the Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry shipyard in China.
   The 320,000-deadweight-ton tanker, named Svet, is the first in a series of vessels of this type ordered by SCF Group (Sovcomflot) for transporting large quantities of oil internationally. Currently, it is not possible to construct this class of vessels in Russia’s shipyards.
   SCF is one of the world leaders in the Aframax and Suezmax segments of the tanker market. With the construction of two new VLCC tankers, Svet and SCF Shanghai, the company enters into the VLCC market.
   Svet meets all national and international safety requirements of the Norwegian classification society Det Norske Veritas and can be operated without any restrictions. The tanker will operate under a long-term charter to PetroChina International. In December 2011, Sovcomflot and PetroChina signed the relevant agreements that, in particular, provided for oil transportation by SCF Group vessels from the Middle East, West Africa and Venezuela to China.
   Svet will enter service in the second half of this month.