BOLSHOY KAMEN, November 15. /TASS /. The Zvezda shipyard has commissioned the steel cutting for a second 114,000-tonne deadweight (DWT) Aframax tanker. Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and Acting Head of the Primorsky Region, Oleg Kozhemyako, attended the ceremony.

The event marked the serial production launch of state-of-the-art, crude oil tankers at the Zvezda shipyard. According to Rosneft, Aframaxes will be the first vessels of its kind constructed in Russia. The lead ship is expected to set sail in 2020.

"Tankers will be powered by two types of fuel, including gas, meeting the recent environmental requirements. The vessels are designed to cover an unlimited sailing area, and will ship crude oil and petroleum products, specifically via the Northern Sea Route," the Rosneft CEO noted.

The first part of the shipyard’s production capacity was launched in 2016-2017, Sechin added, pointing out that the construction of Russia’s biggest dry dock is being conducted one year ahead of schedule with other facilities being built and designed. "Huge work on the creation of a long-term production program is being carried out with the country’s largest shipbuilding and oil and gas companies," he stated.

Zvezda has over 30 contracts on its book of orders. The shipyard will build 25 tankers for Rosneft, including 10 Aframaxes, 4 ice-class support vessels, 10 tankers capable of navigating the Arctic with a DWT of 42,000 tonnes and one with a DWT of 69,000 tonnes.

The Zvezda shipyard is being set up on the base of the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center by a consortium of Rosneft, Rosneftegaz and Gazprombank. The shipyard will produce heavy tonnage ships, offshore platform elements, ice-class vessels, special vessels, and other marine equipment.