PRISCO builds LNG vessel at Japanese shipyard

Moscow: Russia's Primorsk Shipping Company (PRISCO), as part of a consortium with Japanese companies MOL and "K" Line, has ordered an Liquid Natural Gas Carrier at Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding in Chiba, Japan. The vessel, which is scheduled for launch in April 2008, will be manned by a PRISCO crew and will transport LNG as part of the Sakhalin-2 project. The Russo-Japanese consortium won the long term charter contract with Sakhalin Energy in November 2004.

Although work on the vessel only began last month, PRISCO has announced that sub-contractors have already completed some blocks of the hull and tank construction. At present, workers are assembling the hull and outfitting machinery such as piping and pumps. Some of the vessels systems are also being tested.  [18/01/07]