MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. Zvezda Shipyard initiated construction of an Aframax type tanker for the Russian shipping company Sovcomflot. This is the sixth tanker with its keel laid in the shipyard, the Russian oil producer Rosneft says on Friday.

The orders portfolio of Zvezda includes a series of 12 Aframax class tankers. Four of them are currently under construction. The lead ship has already been launched and undergoes harbor acceptance tests.

Aframax tankers with the deadweight of 114,000 tonnes, length of 250 meters and width of 44 meters will be the first vessels of this type built in Russia.

Zvezda Shipyard is developed by the consortium of Rosneft, Rosneftegaz and Gazprombank. Rosneft provides the pilot load for the shipyard, having posted the order for 28 vessels.