ABB onboard DC grid technology contract

The contract, which includes options to equip 15 further vessels, is part of a project to transport LNG from the Yamal peninsula in Northwest Siberia to Asia and Europe.

“Operating LNG carriers in ice-locked waters year-round requires the highest standards in safety and efficiency,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s process automation division. “ABB is very proud to have had its technology selected for such a project.”

The newbuild contract has been awarded to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), in South Korea. ABB’s scope of supply includes turbochargers, generators, switchboards, transformers, electric drives, propulsion control and the Azipod propulsion units.

A consortium of partners, headed by Russian gas producer Novatek, have joined the Yamal project to open up gas from the Yamal peninsula, which is located inside the Arctic Circle and locked in ice for most of the year.

The LNG will be shipped out of Sabetta port using the new 170,000m3 LNG carriers built to icebreaking capability of ARC 7, an ice-class scale that goes up to 9. Shipment will be made to Asia via the Northern Sea Route in summer months resulting in substantially reduced delivery times when compared to transit via traditional routes, as well as cutting fuel consumption and ship fuel emissions.