Sovcomflot tanker completes first voyage on LNG fuel

The Russian company is gradually transitioning its fleet to comply with forthcoming sulphur cap regulations.    The Sovcomflot tanker Gagarin Prospect, operating on LNG fuel, successfully completed its first voyage across the Baltic and North seas from Primorsk to Rotterdam on Monday to deliver 104,815 tonnes of Russian crude oil under a long-term time-charter contract with Shell.
    Sovcomflot said Gagarin Prospect is the world’s first Aframax crude oil tanker designed to operate on LNG as the primary fuel. Switching to cleaner-burning LNG fuel allows Sovcomflot to significantly reduce its impact on the natural environment, the company said.  
   Sovcomflot said it is gradually switching its conventional tanker fleet from traditional heavy fuel oil to LNG to reduce its environment footprint and to comply with tightening sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions regulations, including the IMO’s global 0.5 percent sulphur cap, which takes effect in 2020.