The Arctic shuttle tanker Shturman Albanov, owned by Russia’s largest shipping company SCF Group (PAO Sovcomflot), has received the first Polar Ship Certificate issued by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS).

This Certificate confirms the vessel’s compliance with the requirements of the Polar Code, scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2017, and was released by RS Murmansk Branch on December 22 in the port of Murmansk.

Shturman Albanov is the lead ship in a series of Arctic shuttle tankers ordered by Sovcomflot Group under a long-term contract with Gazprom Neft. They are designed to carry crude oil from the Yamal Peninsula (YNAD) to the port of Murmansk all year-round. Shturman Albanov is capable of operating in the Arctic all year-round at temperatures down to –45°С, according to SCF.

The tankers, with a deadweight of around 42,000 tonnes, were assigned an ice class Arc7 by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS).

In connection with the Polar Code entering into force, the compliance with the requirements thereof is a precondition for ships operated in the Barents Sea, Cara Sea water area south of 60 S and in other seas included in the polar water.

The Polar Ship Certificate confirms the ship’s compliance with the Code requirements related the safe navigation, including the ship’s hull to withstand severe temperature and ice conditions, sufficiency of anti-ice arrangements, the ability of ship’s navigation systems and communication systems to provide the ship with the required information at the high latitudes.

“In a technical sense, the tanker meets the highest requirements of safe navigation in the Arctic seas,” Konstantin Palnikov, RS Director General, said.