作為俄羅斯開發其北部油氣田和促進北極航運的目標的一部分，Sovcomflot（SCF集團）和NOVATEK宣布了在Zvezda造船廠建造10艘破冰Arc7液化天然氣船的協議。作為協議的一部分，還有消息稱，SCF集團和NOVATEK合資的SMART LNG與北極lng2項目的運營商Arctic lng2籤署了這些船隻的長期租船協議。
這項最新合同是2019年10月啟動的開發俄羅斯液化天然氣運輸能力計劃的一部分。最初，他們在國內訂購一艘LNG船，隨後在2020年1月又訂購了四艘。SCF集團表示，這些訂單是其增長戰略的一部分，特別側重於在冰凍條件下開展業務。
SCF集團總裁兼執行長Igor Tonkovidov在公司新聞稿中評論道：「2019-2020年間籤署的15艘Arc7液化天然氣船的造船和定期租船合同，使俄羅斯航運界能夠在運輸對俄羅斯經濟具有戰略意義的貨物方面發揮作用。」。「我們很高興地看到，這艘新一代北極液化天然氣運輸船的設計基於SCF在冰況下安全操作船舶的長期經驗，該船將大大促進北海航線的貨運量增長。同樣重要的是SCF和NOVATEK之間的合作，車輛總線集團和俄羅斯造船商為建立液化天然氣運輸船的國內生產鋪平了道路，這需要採用先進的技術。」
Sovcomflot和Novatek於2019年10月宣布成立智能LNG合資企業，表示將重點管理北極冰級LNG船的建造和運營，為Novatek在俄羅斯北極地區的LNG項目提供服務，包括北極LNG 2項目。當時，他們表示，計劃在茲韋茲達造船廠建造17艘新一代Arc7液化天然氣船，這批船預計在2023年至2026年交付。這些船的技術規格將不同於在韓國建造的Christophe de Margerie系列液化天然氣船。
將該項目引入國內符合俄羅斯發展國內航運業的戰略。在俄羅斯聯邦總統普京的支持下，茲維茲達造船廠的發展，以及油輪建設項目都被列為高度優先事項。Zvezda還在為俄羅斯石油公司製造12艘阿芙拉型油輪。俄羅斯石油公司（Rosneft）還領導一個由投資者組成的財團，投資Zvezda造船廠。
北海航線的第一次試航始於10年前，當時SCF小組與NOVATEK合
作完成了幾次試驗性的運輸，最終開發了新西伯利亞群島北部商業航運的深水航道。2020年5月，液化天然氣運輸船克裡斯託夫·德·馬格裡完成了北海航線最早的東部航線運輸，也是亞馬爾液化天然氣公司開始運營以來的45次航程。普京呼籲開發這條航線，制定了到2024年8000萬噸貨物通過北極的目標。
As part of Russia’s ongoing efforts to develop its northern oil and gas fields and promote Arctic shipping, Sovcomflot (SCF Group) and NOVATEK announced a deal to build 10 additional icebreaking Arc7 LNG carriers at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. As part of the agreement, it was also announced that SMART LNG, a joint venture of SCF Group and NOVATEK, signed long-term time charter agreements for the vessels with Arctic LNG 2, the operator of the Arctic LNG 2 project.
This latest contract is part of a program that was launched in October 2019 to develop Russia’s LNG shipment capabilities. Initially, one LGN vessel was ordered domestically followed by four additional orders in January 2020. The SCF Group said that the orders were part of its growth strategy with a special focus on operations in challenging climatic and ice conditions.
「Shipbuilding and time charter contracts for 15 Arc7 LNG carriers, signed between 2019-2020, enable the Russian shipping community to play a role in transporting cargoes of strategic importance for the Russian economy,」 commented Igor Tonkovidov, President and CEO of SCF Group, in the company’s press release. 「We are pleased to see that this new generation of Arctic LNG carriers, which will contribute significantly to growing the cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route, was designed based on SCF’s long-standing experience of safely operating vessels in ice conditions. Equally significant is the fact that the cooperation between SCF, NOVATEK, VEB.RF Group and Russian shipbuilders paves the way for establishing the domestic production of LNG carriers, which entails adopting advanced technologies and engineering solutions.」
Sovcomflot and Novatek announced the formation of the SMART LNG joint venture in October 2019 saying that it would focus on managing the construction and operations of Arctic ice-class LNG carriers to service Novatek's LNG projects in the Russian Arctic region, including the Arctic LNG 2 project. At the time, they said a total of 17 new-generation Arc7 LNG carriers were planned to be built at the Zvezda shipbuilding complex and expected to be delivered from 2023 to 2026. The vessels』 technical specifications will differ from the LNG carriers of the Christophe de Margerie series which was built in Korea.
Bringing the project domestically fits with the Russian strategy of developing its domestic shipping industries. The growth of the yards at Zvezda, which was a former military base, and the tanker construction projects have a high priority with the support of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Zvezda is also building a class of 12 Aframax class tankers for Rosneft. The Rosneft Oil Company is also leading a consortium of investors developing the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex.
The first tests of the North Sea Route begin a decade ago when SCF Group working with NOVATEK completed several experimental transits leading to the development of the deep-water route for commercial shipping north of the New Siberian Islands archipelago. In May 2020, the LNG carrier Christophe de Margeriecompleted the earliest eastbound transit of the Northern Sea Route and its 45 voyage since the start of Yamal LNG’s operations. Putin has called for the development of the route, setting the goal for 80 million tons of cargo to pass through the Arctic by 2024.