LLC RN-Bunker has made its first delivery of bunker fuel to the Sakhalin-2 project's operator, Sakhalin Energy, Rosneft (RTS: ROSN) said in a statement.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Grand Aniva, with a cargo capacity of 145,000 cubic meters, has arrived at the Nakhodka port. Sakhalin Energy chartered the vessel to transport LNG to countries in the Asia-Pacific Region as part of the Sakhalin-2 project.

Grand Aniva was manufactured under a long-term agreement signed by Rosneft and Sakhalin Energy at the end of last year. According to this agreement, Rosneft will deliver bunker fuel to the Sakhalin-2 project's operator through its own terminal.

Prior to this, refueling occurred at ports in the Asia-Pacific Region. "This is the first bunker vessel of such a class in Russia," the statement said.

Rosneft's bunker activities are carried out by its subsidiaries - RN-Bunker and Rosneft Marine. Last year, it sold 2.5 million tonnes of bunker fuel, or 35% more than the year before. Rosneft's terminal at the Nakhodka port boasts a transshipment capacity of about 7 million tonnes of petroleum products per year.

Sakhalin Energy develops the Piltun-Astokhskoye oil field and the Lunskoye gas field in the Sea of Okhotsk on the Sakhalin Island shelf. Its shareholders include Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) (50% plus one share), Royal Dutch Shell (27.5% minus one share), and Japanese companies Mitsui (12.5%) and Mitsubishi (10%).

The Sakhalin-2 project involves developing the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye fields, recoverable reserves of which are estimated at 150 million tonnes of oil and 500 bcm of gas. In 2009, an LNG production plant began operations in the context of the project, with a capacity of 9.6 million tonnes. The specialized Prigorodnoye marine terminal, which is located near the LNG plant, takes around 100 oil tankers and 150 LNG tankers, or about one vessel every two days.

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(Originally published June 5, 2012, in Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire.)